Killing Underground
by Jaredof
Summary: Kidnapped on a field trip, the class awoke underground, in a eerie bunker. Forced to follow dreadful orders from their abductor in order to survive, their lives can be erased by a simple push on a button. As expected, blood was spilled fairly quickly. Between fight for the survival and uncovering the mystery shrouding this place, few will manage to escape the killing underground.
1. Day 1

"You're so funny Deku, that was a good one!"

With that being said, Uraraka leaned away from Izuku, still laughing a lot from the joke he just made, at least the last one. Cracking jokes might sounds a bit boring when repeated, but they needed to kill time as best as they could. The school trip was planned to last several days, but the the trip itself to the place where it would happen will last a good 5 hours, and since the beginning only about half the time passed. They were travelling by bus, which only made the trip longer than ever. All the students of class A and a few of class B were traveling together. Behind Izuku, Bakugo sighed and leaned on the glass windows, bored by both the time passing ever so slowly and Izuku's jokes.

"Eh, thanks Ochaco, but it was only a little joke, nothing too extravagant, said Izuku a bit flustered, I'm not that funny I think.."

"Come on Izuku, you must admit you are funny, almost as much as Denki when he's doing his derp face.", jokingly answered Kirishima, seated next to Bakugo behind Ochaco. Unlike his friend, he was completely thrilled by the trip and spent almost an entire hour joking with Izuku and Ochaco.

"No way, his face is more funny than his jokes though, don't say that ! I remember last time when he was so electrified he started walking into a wall with his thumbs raised !", intervened Ochaco, cracking up a little, followed by another annoyed sigh then the trio laughing back at this reminder.

Izuku, still laughing, took a glance through the windows at his turn, and suddenly went dead silent, not understanding what he was seeing.

"Are you seing this too ? Or it just me ?", he asked to his friends, who looked at their turn. Kirishima widely opened is eyes and gasped, while Ochaco let out a small shout of surprise.

Behind the security of the glass, they could see a strange pinkish mist in the pit next to the gravelly road, forming stranges figures and shapes. Izuku blinked, and the mist disappeared without a trace.

"What was that ? A villain and his quirk ?", asked Izuku still bewildered by the strange gas he just seen.

"Shut up nerd, it's probably a gas leak which blown up because of a high pression or something, not a villain. Or it was just you hallucinating.", stated Bakugo, still bored.

"I'm not sure a pink gas exist, and a gas that is making weird shapes ? Even less Kacchan, that's not normal I'm sure ! It remembers me of Kurogiri's quirk, back at the SUJ attack.", replied Midoriya with a concerned face, looking again through the stained glass.

"Bah, you didn't followed in chem class or ..."

Bakugo couldn't finish his sentence, as a loud shout from the front of the bus erupted, making every student turning their gaze in the direction.

"What the hell ? A pink fog ? It's on the road Mister Aizawa, what am I supposed to do ?!"

The angry voice was coming from the bus driver, angered over the teacher and almost yelling at him. Izuku glared at them for a second then looked up and saw the pink fog had returned, now in front of the vehicle. Worried and surprised whispers echoed through the cabin, unsure of what to do, and Shoto's deep voice followed, somewhere in front of Izuku.

"Do you have any idea of what this fog might be ? Is it dangerous ?", he asked to the teacher, who replied negatively, but ordered the students to stay inside, while he'd investigate. Then, Aizawa step outside the bus, outside of Izuku's field of vision. He was deeply anxious, this mysterious mist was unlike anything he has seen before, even though it looked like Kurogiri's or Mustard's quirk.

"Hey, there is fog behind too ! And on the sides, it's circling us from all around !", suddenly shouted Hanta, his face almost glued to the back window, with a now clearly worried voice, before turning to his classmates.

"Someone call Aizawa-sensei, we must warn him !"

Shoto shooked his head and stood up, walked past a few seated rows and asked the driver to open the door, but the old man refused, somewhat panicked and ordered him to return to his seat, and soon an argument erupted between the two. Bakugo sighed even more and finally looked away from the window, seemingly annoyed by everything.

"It's been a few minutes the teacher went to check, what is he doing ? It's dangerous now and those idiots arguing aren't helping.", he scoffed, standing up at his turn and beginning to walk towards the front of the bus.

But the bus suddenly trembled and some students shouted in surprise and fear mixed, and then the door was violently shut open, the mist, now way closer than before, started to enter the cabin, much to the horror of the passengers, but at a rather slow pace, almost idling. Tetsutesu from class 1-B grunted rather angrily : "That must be a joke right? It's so slow ! Why don't we just walk out of the bus while not breathing ?"

"This is a bad idea, we don't know anything, it might be corrosive or something !, said Itsuka just next to him, we must wait until Aizawa is coming back !"

"We can't wait, we have to act, we must.."

Todoroki couldn't finished his last word, and his eyes widened before he suddenly collapsed on the ground, visibly unconscious and wrapped with strips of pink fog. Izuku shouted, along with several other students. Everyone was now panicking, and the fog seemed a lot more faster within a few seconds. The other door on the back of the bus was shut open a minute later, and the fog entered from this new entrance.

"Fuck, get off freaking fog, die !", yelled Bakugo before disappearing in the fog at his turn, trying to move it away with explosions. Eijiro panicked and ran into the mist to save him, to not avail.

"We must escape... I should break a window !", quickly thought Midoriya, grabbing his backpack before starting to hit the glass with it. Everything was surrounded with screams of horror even though they were fading away in the fog, and it eventually reached the backside of the bus, were was Midoriya and a few others students.

_"Come on, just break..!"_

Izuku hit the window another time, then another, but the stained glass was too strong to be even cracked. Ochaco grabbed his arm, scared for her life, almost like to beg for a last minute of breathable air. Denki cried while he was being engulfed at his turn, now leaving only Midoriya and Ochaco.

"Deku, just break the window... Please do something, I don't want to die, not now..!", begged Uraraka, holding onto his friend for dear life. But Izuku just couldn't do anything against the strength of the glass, desperately trying again and again. His eyes were flooded with tears, thinking this would be the end. Eventually, he felt Ochaco's grip on his shirt weakened, and he knew it was too late.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I'm not coming back home...", he sadly whispered, his view hesitant and more fuzzy every second that passed by. Pink was blocking his sight, and he let his backpack go, bumping against the floor in a metallic tone. His forces were leaving him, and he followed his bag onto the floor. Raising his head with difficulties, he tried to raise his hand in direction of a light fading away, but failed. Ultimately, he silently muttered :

"I'm so... Sorry..."

And everything went dark, cold and lonely.

But it was such coldness that finally awoke the young boy, maybe a few hours later, feeling his body coldly freezing. Emerging from his sleep, Izuku opened go his eyes, to reveal a strange metallic roof, crossed by many leaks of all sizes and dimensions. Everything was gray, safe from a few lights in the corner, flickering every once in a while. He shivered laying down, this unknown place was unlike anything else he had already seen in his life.

"Where the hell am I... I'm so cold, did I slept... Oh yes, the mist ! I guess it had a sleep-inducing property..."

Izuku finally came fully to his senses and sat down, to examine the rest of the room. He was alone, and the room itself was pretty small. In a corner, folded, could be found a mattress and some dirty blankets. In front of him, a big TV crowned with a small camera, a ridiculous contraste. Behind him, a chair, a desk and a wooden door.

Instinctly, Izuku immediately ran to the door and tried to open it with all his might, but it was either blocked or a key was required. He sighed lightly and banged on the door a few times, yelling he was here, but it was unsuccessful, no one came. This little room looked like a prison cell more than anything, and he still didn't knew where he was or what this place was.

As to answer his questions, the TV was suddenly powered, showing a white screen, and a sizzling, deep robotic voice came from the loudspeakers on each side of the screen.

"Welcome, welcome to everyone ! I suspect you have a lot of questions, so I'll answer them. You are now under my control, nothing less, and you must obey my orders, if you don't the consequences would be a little... Explosive.", explained the voice with a little maniac laugh, as if it said something really funny.

"Explosive ? What does he mean... ", pondered a curious yet cautious Izuku, as the TV was now showing a human silhouette.

"If you reach the region around your neck, you will notice that a collar has been out onto you while you were sleeping. This collar is simple, it's an explosive one. Do something that I don't like or try to tamper with it and your head will go boom ! Needless to say, you won't survive !"

This idea sent a cold shiver down Izuku's spine. His head being reduced to bloodies remains ? That was purely disgusting and scary, even the league of villains wasn't that sadistic. But more importantly, what did the strange perpetrator of this kidnapping was meaning by something he doesn't like ? He felt a heavy pressure on his neck, as if the collar was strangling him.

"If you want to survive, you must obey the orders I will show on the TV in the main room every morning. Some orders will concern everyone, while others won't. If you succeed in completing an order, you will earn a few points, and if you earn enough, like 100, you can earn a key to pull off the collar and leave ! In my immense generosity I'm leaving you with a chance to leave, but of course it would be hard."

Izuku was absolutely stunned, as if Denki's electricity was running through his body. Every part of this situation seemed like an elaborate prank, but deep inside he knew it wasn't a joke. This strange situation was real, and it was going to be a morbid game of life and death. Of course Izuku was also afraid for his life, who knew what the orders would be about ? The abductor didn't say a word about them.

"With that being said, I think it's all for now, but you shall move outside of your room. Oh, and of you want to put your hero costume, you can, it's on the table. Now see you soon fellas !", concluded the robotic voice with another creepy laugh, just before the TV shut off.

Soon after, the door emitted a little clicking sound and swung open, revealing a thin hallway plunged into darkness, even darker than the cell Izuku was in, quite gloomy by itself.

After a brief moment of collecting his thoughts, Izuku finally dares to take a glance inside the hallway, leaving his hero outfit on the wooden desk for now. The corridor was empty and he couldn't see anything more away than a few meters. The air was a little moist and sticking to Izuku's hair and school uniform, and the whole setting itself was eerie. He took a fist step outside, and noticed that a sign was nailed on his door, with his name written in black letters.

"That's scary... But I must go now, what else can I do? He said to obey his orders or face the consequences, it'd be pointless to try anything funny.", said Izuku to himself, as a way to give himself some bravery, he took another step, and eventually walked away from his cell in the only possible direction, straight to his left.

Not any longer than 3 minutes after, Izuku reached another cell, with its door swung open in the same fashion as his. Peaking inside, the room revealed the same arrangement, with the TV, dirty mattress and dust, the only difference here being a box opened on the desk with a school uniform shoved into it.

"I'm not alone then, other students are imprisoned here ? Maybe they're from my class, I must check it out...", he muttered to himself, closing the door slightly to read the name written onto it.

"Tetsutesu Tetsutesu. Yes, they are here, gosh it means they're alive ! I must find them as quick as possible !", he realized, feeling suddenly better, and moreover reassured about the demise of his friends and classmates. With a new resolve, he carried on on the path towards his unknown destination.

The hallway was quite long, maybe a hundred meters at the total, but completely plunged into darkness. Izuku came across several others cells, with always the same features. He also noticed another door into the rooms he didn't saw the first time, which was leading to the bathroom. The only major difference was the names stamped on the doors, all of them were familiar. And finally, after a good 15 minutes walk through the dark, Izuku reached a large metal door, with beams of light coming through the base.

"Did I reached the end of this endless corridor ? I sure hope so, my legs are hurting... I should open this door.", he affirmed to his mind, and he firmly grabbed the handle before opening carefully the door, afraid to hit someone on the next side.

"Ah, shitty Deku is the last one to arrive, I'm not even surprised. You're freaking slow you know that ? We were all waiting for you, this freaking TV only said to wait for everyone before anything would go further than that.", grunted the habitual voice of Bakugo, crossed arms and leaning on the wall close to the door.

"Yes I know, sorry about that..."

"Yeah yeah whatever, now just come with me, I had enough of waiting this stupid order.", ordered Katsuki before standing up and going through another door, closely followed by Izuku. When both of them entered the following room, Izuku was stunned by how big it was. Maybe a square of a hundred meters, with a giant TV leaning on a wall and everyone else gathered in front of it. On a side of the room, were a few dining tables and a large kitchen filled with ingredients from what Izuku could seen. Katsuki immediately head towards the group.

"Deku's here.", he simply said, looking annoyingly to Izuku before going back to Eijiro and Denki, engaged in a worried discussion.

"Great, I like to see that you're in perfect shape despite the horrible event that is striking our class !", stated Tenya circled by Ochaco and Shoto, giving a friendly embrace to his friend, before going off and sighing : "I don't know what is happening to us, this is just insane doesn't it ? Feels like it came straight out of a movie."

"Yeah, orders, explosive collars and all of that, it seems so unreal. And I'm worried about the orders too, who knows what they are going to be ?", Izuku replied worriedly, before adding : "For how long have you been in the room ?"

"Maybe half an hour now, I was in the fist batch that reached the room. See that door on the left ? It's another corridor with others cells.", calmly answered Shoro, not fully understanding himself.

Izuku sighed and took another look at the student body. In total they were 26, 20 students from their class, Aizawa who looked absolutely devastated, and 5 students from class B. A nice worried and exhausted little crowd engaged in a grim game. Then, a buzzling noice resounded in the room, and the giant TV went on again, as it did in the bedrooms, if they can be called this way.

"Hello everyone, it seems our last guest is finally with us ! What a slowpoke. Therefore, I must explain precisely the orders. Every day, every morning, you will come to this room, call it the canteen if you wish, so you can receive your daily order."

"Sometimes every single one of you must obey to it, but most of the time it'll only be about two students. Realize the order and you'll earn points and the right to live longer. Refuse and I'll explode your head. Fail it and I'll most likely blow your head too, though it's not mandatory. Thus, since you know everything there is to know, I shall introduce you to today's order."

After his small monologue, the white screen faded away, before resuming to a red one with black curvy letters writting a message. After a few dozen of seconds of pure silence, they finally assembled, writting the following :

**"Students Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo must be friendly to each other for the rest of the day."**

Izuku gasped, along with Bakugo, and both of them looked each other in the eyes. For a first order, it sure was hard ! Katsuki seemed to boil with anger and rage, but he also knew he didn't wanted to die.

_" Fine freaking psycho, I'll be friendly with him !"_

* * *

The TV buzzed again, as if to show it was satisfied, and went off. Everyone was standing in utter silence, looking straight to Bakugo, still filled with rage and disgust while clunching his fists angrily, and Izuku in front of him, who was looking to the ground, feeling bad for his comrade to be involved in such an order, even more for the first one. Shoto decided to break the overwhelming silence.

"Well, it seems we have our first order. I wonder how he can verify if we are actively following it ?", he asked to the assembly while rumbling through his pockets.

"I guess it's the cameras, they are filling every centimeter of this place remember ? We all have one in our bedroom, as if I can call it this way, and a dozen in this room too. No wonders he has an eye on everything.", replied Tsuyu, looking in every corner of the cellar, to effectively confirm cameras were following all of their actions.

Almost everyone sighed in despair, most of them still couldn't believe they were trapped in a weird game of death and life, where your fate can be determined in the second. Some of them wanted to cry, and a few did. In a attempt to lighten up the mood a little, Denki proposed in the most realistic cheery tone possible :

"How about we split up and explore the rest of the area ? We only explored the main room and the hallways with our cells, and I can see a big door over there..."

"Actually yes, this door doesn't lead anywhere we know of, the three bedroom hallways are on the other walls. It's a great idea Denki actually ! We could learn more about our situation this way.", answered rather eagerly Mina, before adding : "But then we must make groups right?"

"Brilliant idea Denki ! I'll lead the first group then, I must ensure a safe feeling among us.", decided Tenya, before turning to Izuku with crossed arms.

"We should team up, don't you think ? But then we must take Bakugo with ourselves too, to respect the order."

Izuku raised his head a little, suprised to be asked to be a part of the exploration, thinking he would be left alone with Bakugo in the room or anything close to this. Behind him, Bakugo was glaring at Tenya, not very delighted by such an idea, but he didn't said a word. He knew he had to follow Izuku everywhere, if not his head would blow up within seconds. The collar felt suddenly a lot heavier.

"Alright four-eyes freak, I'll go with your group. But don't expect me to be all wiggly-friendly with you, I'm only doing this because I must to.", he grunted, resigned.

With that being said, the crowd divided into a few groups, and started the exploration. One team was investigating the kitchen, while the others passed through the door mentioned earlier, and were greeted by a dusty staircase. A row of steps was going down on their left, and another one up on their right. They divided again, and Izuku's team went up, Tenya still leading the way with a flashlight he found sooner.

But to their surprise, when they reached the top of the stairs, they noticed another row on their right, meaning several floors were present, at least three. In this floor, even more dust and cowebs would be found, but even more, the group found an entier gymnasium and a dojo, much to their surprise.

"A dojo, here ? This doesn't make any sense, we're probably underground ! And the layout of the floor is weird too, I mean a gymnasium, a pool and a dojo but nothing else ?", stated Tetsutesu confusely, rumbling through a pile of boxes while they were in the gymnasium.

"Because you're trying to still find a sense to our situation ? The abductor probably thought we would be bored or something.", answered Kirishima, his curious head above Tetsu's shoulder.

Izuku didn't said anything, but noticed another camera in the corner, circled by two light bulbs. Their kidnapper was truely everywhere they were, and he sighed. He wouldn't even be surprised if there were cameras in the bathrooms too. Next to him, Tenya was examinating a coarkboard with various papers and posters nailed on it, looking for informations.

"Well, it seems I have found something quite interesting, he suddenly said, before grabbing a paper from the board, this paper says this complex is a former army bunker, you see ?"

"Let me see this four-eyes freak.", ordered Bakugo, standing reluctantly behind Midoriya.

Without hesitation, Tenya handed the paper to Bakugo, who took it without even saying thanks. His eyes opened widely when he read what was written on it, and his jaw dropped.

"What the hell ? It says this gymnasium was formerly used by the army to train themselves in the bunker, with a list of activities. Weird."

"It's not that weird Kacchan, now that I think about it, the bedrooms were pretty stern, something you'd find in the army.", intervened Izuku while taking a look on the paper himself.

"Oi sh... Izuku, don't you think you're going far ? A military bunker where we would be put into and forced to obey stupid orders ? You read too much All Might mangas."

"Wait Katsuki, he could be right ! This place would be the perfect one for a scenery like this to happen. We're cut from the outside world and it's quite big.", answered Tenya, sure about his statement.

"It seems so... But I still hardly believe this shit, seems like a prank someone would do."

But Bakugo's answer was cut short, as a heavy explosion sound erupted in the gymnasium, shaking both walls and floor alike, and the room took a blazing orange tone for a second. Shooked, the trio turned their heads to the corner of the room, from which emitted this violent and sudden explosion.

On the floor, Tetsutesu was shaking in astonishment and fear, his finger pointed right in front of him, to Kirishima. Or what remained of him. The headless body fell to the floor in a loud thump, still dripping fresh blood onto the parquet, while his head rolled over to Tetsutesu, without any collar around its neck.

"He.. Died... He freaking died ! In front of me !"

Within the trio, Bakugo was the first one to react to this sight, and he screamed in horror, pain and sorrow, altogether, before running to his now deceased friend, tears in his eyes. Tenya, still baffled, was muted by this bloody vision, covering his mouth in terror, while Izuku was about to puke.

"Oi shitty hair, don't die on me ! Stay back, come here ! Fucking answer me already !", Bakugo cried, banging against Kirishima lifeless torso, holding his limp hand, trying everything he could to wake him up, refusing to acknowledge he just witnessed his best friend dying in a gorry way.

"Bakugo stop, it's useless ! Leave him, you're just going to hurt yourself even more !", screamed Tenya while running to Katsuki before grabbing his arm, in a attempt to push him off the body.

"Shut up ! I'm going to bring him back, I'm fucking going to !", replied very angrily Bakugo, shoving Tenya away without any hesitation.

Tetsutesu was still trembling in fear and trying to cope himself together. Kirishima and him were still looking inside all of the various boxes, when the redhead found a screwdriver. He raised it happily above his head, saying he had found a way to pull off the collar, since it had screws to maintain it straight around the neck.

But at the very moment Kirishima approached the tool close to the collar, his neck exploded, decapitating and killing him instantly. They forgot about the camera watching over them, much to Kirishima's demise.

"Stop it Bakugo, leave him in peace now, don't hurt yourself even more !", reiteired Tenya, before being shoved again but so hard he fell on the wooden floor, with a very angry Katsuki over him.

"Don't freaking interrupt me, I'm gonna bring him back I said !", shouted Bakugo with tears running across his face, before grabbing Tenya by the shirt, heavy breathing.

" Kacchan stop ! You're going too far, you're going to kill someone, stay calm I beg you !", objected Izuku, a hand on Katsuki's shoulder. He was also crying, but in terror. Izuku only wished for Katsuki to calm and cool down, seeing his friend so angry and boiling with rage was scaring him.

" But I can't ! You don't understand don't you ! I fucking loved him ! I loved Kirishima freaking much, more than a friend ! But I never told him how much he mattered to me, and now I can't anymore ! 'Cause he's lying dead on the floor !", broke down Katsuki, falling down on his knees and letting ahold of Tenya. He truely cared about Kirishima, but never told him, and this fact was ripping him apart.

Izuku and Tenya were standing in silence, surrounding a crying Bakugo. Izuku felt horrible and devastated, he wanted to comfort Bakugo, even just a little, but that wouldn't be a good idea. But even with that, he squatted down and pat him on the back, lightly rubbing it with his fingers, whispering softly.

"Bakugo, calm down, it's fine, please calp down..."1

As a response, Katsuki only turned around, still on his knees and crying, but he hugged Izuku. Even Bakugo himself couldn't believe it, he was hugging the nerd he always disliked and despised. Yet he was hugging him tightly, looking for any sort of comfort, how ironical. Understanding Bakugo was accepting his offer, both of them stood up and hugged for a few more seconds, Izuku still rubbing his back.

"Come on, we must go.", only said Tenya in a stern and broke voice, as he wanted to leave the area as quick as possible, fed up with it. Izuku nodded sadly, and he let go of the embrace, as did Bakugo. And all of them left the gymnasium, slowly closing the door behind them, leaving the corpse on the floor. Not in the mood to continue the exploration, they went back to the main room.

When they reached it, the other group has already arrived, and unlike Izuku's team, they were cheering up a little, chatting about how they discovered a room filled with various playing devices and a library. The bunker now appeared to be much more extensive than it first seemed, at least they wouldn't be bored, Izuku thought.

But of course, things couldn't stay this way for long, and before anyone could say a word about what happened to Eijiro, a surprised Momo called the crowd over her, to show that a metallic board has been put on to the wall when they were exploring. All of their names were written on it, along with photographs of their faces. Kirishima's name was crossed out, and his photograph stamped with a big red X.

"How did this thing ended up here ? No one noticed anything ?", asked Tsuyu confused, poking her portrait with her finger.

"And more importantly, why is Eijiro crossed out ? Wait, wasn't he with you ?", realized Denki in the middle of the confusion, looking straight to Tenya, needing answers.

"He... Died, his head blew up when he tried to tamper with his collar...", murmured Tenya, clunching his fists in grief, looking straight to the ground.

A lead screed fell upon the students, overwhelming the room in silence again. Denki's heart almost stopped, and so did Mina's. Bakugo, who stayed silent until now, hid his face into his hands and walked, almost ran away, wishing to be alone, despite Izuku protests. It would be wiser to leave him for now.

But more importantly, anybody who still thought this way realized it wasn't a prank, someone died for real. Someone died and he wasn't coming back. It was hard to swallow. No one said anything, but everyone knew their game of life and death has begun for real.

Everybody stayed like this for another moment, coping with the situation. Freezing cold entered the room and Izuku shivered. He didn't knew what to do. It was the first time he noticed someone dying in reality, and he was filled with despair. They were all going to die here, their abductor could kill them in a finger snap, and they have no way to escape this living hell.

In fact they had one, completing the tasks and orders they were given. Which reminded Izuku of today's order, being friendly with Bakugo, and it ended up being successful, for once Bakugo didn't insulted him in the slightest. Even more, they shared a hug. This fact awoke him from his deadpan face, and he made his way towards the big TV, before raising his head to the screan and screaming :

"Hey, I did what you asked ! Please consider our order as accomplished, I beg you !

And as expected or not, the screen was powered a few seconds later, and the robotic voice answered, after a little amused laugh.

"Since when worms have the right to talk to me ? How impudent from you ! I should blow you right now, you little trash. But you're right, your order was done, even though I should wait until midnight... But you and the explosive worm hugged together, so I'll consider it a success. Have your points."

A small clicking noise followed, and a trapdoor opened under the TV screen, revealing two pieces of paper printed with a 5 and a name. As the order was about Bakugo and Izuku, their names were written for this time. Midoriya grabbed them with hesitation, it could be another trap, but everything happened without a problem.

"Now, remember you need 100 points to pull off the collar. I decide how much I want to give you, it would be too easy otherwise ! Well, I had fun today, even though you didn't, but I don't give a damn about you, so I'm gonna rest. See you tomorrow buddies !", jokingly said the screen, before turning off again.

For now, the day ended. And the death toll was already of one victim. The despair was still overwhelming them, but a small light of hope could be seen far away. If they wanted to survive together, they'd need to successfully complete all the orders they'll be given, no matter the cost.

"How about we have dinner ? We spent all day exploring the bunker, we should have some rest.", proposed Sato with a little smile, wishing to lighten up the mood.

"Nice idea you got there Rikido ! We have what we need to make a cake too, I search through the ingredients sooner !", affirmed Ochaco, already walking towards the kitchen, excited.

"Yes, let's think about something else. I'll help you out with the dishes.", concluded Shoto with a composed face, before being grabbed by a laughing Sato under his arms, and soon a dozen students were in the kitchen making the meal for tonight. It wasn't much, but it would at least keep their minds away from the grief, at the very least for now.

Izuku decided to not help in the cooking, since he was the kind of guy capable of overcooking pastas. His head was heavy, he wished to laid down and calm himself, but he needed to do something else before resting. After asking Denki where Bakugo had gone, Izuku entered the thin dark hallway on his left, and located Bakugo's room, right at the end of the corridor.

"He's at the end too ? Exactly like me, now that's funny.", he quickly thought when he reached the door of Bakugo's cell, obviously closed.

He knocked on the door a few times, but no answers. As expected, Bakugo wouldn't open the door, but Izuku really needed to check in him, so he knocked again and again. Eventually, the door opened very lightly, reaveling a room plunged into darkness, even the lights in the corner were off. Bakugo's gaze meet Izuku's one, and he asked almost silently :

"What do you want Deku, I don't want to see anybody, just go ..."

"I'm sorry Bakugo, I just wanted to check on you, you ran away so I was worried about you, that's all.", answered Izuku with a concerned face, opening the door a little more with his shoe.

"I'm fine... Of course I'm not, Eijiro is dead, there is nothing else to be said now, I'm just done."

"Bakugo, please open the door..."

At a normal time, Katsuki would have been pissed off by Izuku and slammed the door in his face, but he sadly grunted, and he opened the door before turning on the switch. His hair was messy, his eyes swollen with tears and red, he had cried recently, and he was quivering. A sad painting, a real contraste with his usual self. That was painful to watch.

"Kacchan... I'm sorry to have caused you trouble with the order, maybe I could've pr..", started Izuku while staring at the ground, only to be cut short by Katsuki, who put his hands on his shoulders surprisingly firmly.

"Don't say it, please. It was inevitable, the order didn't played a part in Eijiro's death... It's just me, I should've been more cautious.", he said softly. He didn't want Izuku to put the blame on himself, it was only hiw own fault.

"Kacchan, it's fine, you can't be everywhere at the same time, it was an accident... Please don't blame yourself, please. No one is to blame here.", Izuku answered, feeling the same way. Bakugo was already devastated enough, he didn't needed to put the blame on him.

"Oi Deku... I don't really hate you you know, in fact I admire you... You're strong damn nerd, always trying to make sure everyone is safe."

"What, you're being serious right now aren't you... I'm suprised you know, I admire you too, you always come up with greats battle tactics, almost like a true pro hero.", admitted Izuku at his turn, still facing Bakugo right in the eyes. His gaze was intense, piercing through his soul like an arrow, a bit intimidating.

"Hey Deku... Don't say stuff like that, come on, you're going to make me smile... Hey Deku, let's get out, together, this way we can train together. And I'll show you even more tactics.", whispered Bakugo, his eyes were still red but not angry or crying, they were somewhat calm and serious. Izuku knew he meant it.

" Yes Kacchan, let's espace this hell, with everybody. I promise we'll train, be ready to fight hey... "

Katsuki cracked a little smile, and grabbed Izuku's hand with his own, in a handshake position. He then said, deep inside determined to fulfill that promise he just made.

"I'll be ready Deku, I'll freaking be ready."

End of day 1

Deaths : 1

Alive : 25


	2. Day 2

Tetsutesu looked up from his plate for a short moment, a bit annoyed. They were supposed to all be here this morning in order too have their first breakfast in this weird room, but Denki was missing. To kill the time, he reminded himself of what happened yesterday : they were all kidnapped and put through this deadly game, and Kirishima became the fist victim of the mastermind, in front of his very eyes. The vision of a decapitated head rolling down to his feet wouldn't leave his mind, and he quietly shivered.

"What is he doing ? He's so slow ! Freaking Pikachu, everyone needs to be here so we can get today's order !", shouted Bakugo, doing better than yesterday. Still he was right, without Denki they won't get their order.

Finally, after a few moments, a strike of blond hair appeared through the east door, swinging open, and Denki finally stepped into the room, still yawning. He was visibly tired, and overslept, which didn't surprised anybody. After all, they almost all had difficulties to fell asleep after such a troublesome experience.

He raised his hands and reached the table, sitting between Momo and Tenya, and sighed at his turn.

"Yeah I know I'm hella late, but I couldn't sleep last night... Did I missed something though ?", he asked confusedly when noticing everyone staring at him, some with amusement, some with seriousness. Aizawa lifted his head from his bowl and replied in his dreary tone :

"Yes you did. Everyone needs to be gathered here before we can get our order, so without you being here, we were asked to wait."

"Oh, I see, sorry for that ! But now I'm here so let's get down to it !"

"First of all, calm down and eat. We'll get the order after, it seems our abductor wishes it that way."

With that being said, Kaminari nodded and started to devour his breakfast, hungry, and everyone eventually did the same, trying to forget for a small moment their situation by filling their stomachs with surprisingly fresh food.

When all of the plates were empty, they all stood up and gathered in front of the ominous big screen, watching over us with the camera's watchful eye. The screen powered up and the robotic voice spoke again.

"Well well, seems like you all had a good breakfast and stuff, and everyone is filled. Good for you, because you might change after knowing our new order for the day ! Have fun with it !"

Like the first time, the white, flickering screen was replaced with a deep black one with big red letters, which after a few moments of hesitation, wrote the following :

**"Student Monoma Neito must give an order of his choice to another student, who must obey it at all costs."**

The screen flickered again and the power went out. Monoma eyes opened widely, and everyone stared at him. This order was sure unexpected, but it also meant Monoma could give an easy order to the student he'll choose, and everything will be fine in the end. Itsuka grabbed him by the arm and squeezed it lightly, to catch his attention.

"Listen Monoma, none of us were expecting this kind of order, but don't be afraid ! You can simply ask someone to breathe, it's fine !"

But to her surprise, Monoma sighed and vividly pulled out his arm from her grip and laughed a little, and he answered : "You don't know me Itsuka don't you ! Now that I finally have an opportunity to bring down our rivals from class 1-A, I won't back down !"

Bakugo frowned and grunted, and he ran to grab Monoma by the shirt, shaking him. He shouted angrily :

"You fucking idiot ! Now isn't the time to think about a stupid rivalry, we're all stuck on the same boat ! We need to survive so don't fuck our chances with a stupid order !"

"He's right Monoma, don't do something reckless like that ! We can save more people, so just ask something easy and able to be done !", added Itsuka, now behind Bakugo. She wished for Monoma to come to his senses.

"Shut up and die Itsuka, I said I won't back down, I can finally surpass them !", he replied fanatically, still being shaked by Bakugo.

And immediately after, the screen buzzed again, catching everyone's attention, and the letters came back, writing a new sentence.

**"Student Itsuka Kendo must die before the end of the day, as said by Monoma."**

Itsuka screamed in horror and fell to her knees, curling up in a ball. Everyone was staring in disbelief at Monoma, no one could believe he asked such an order, even more to one of his comrades. Bakugo threw Monoma on the floor and stood back, looking at the blond boy in pure disgust. But the most angered one was Tetsutesu, clenching his fists so hard his fingers were white. He punched in the wall, now hardened with his quirk, with so much strength it cracked under his fists.

"What did you just said Monoma ?! You fucking monster, I can't believe you've done this ! Crap, I'm.. Urgh ! Go to hell Monoma !", he screamed from the top of his lungs, held back by Shoji and Shoto with much difficulties. He wanted so hard to rush to Monoma and punch him in the face, instead of the wall. Itsuka was still crying out in a ball, comforted by Momo.

Monoma sat down, still trying to realize what just happened because of his mistake. Of course he didn't meant that, it was just an incident. He was greeted with several disappointed and resentful eyes, and he quivered, rubbing his own arms.

"I didn't meant it, I didn't ! It wasn't my order, the abductor just picked what pleased him, forgive me !", he whispered very lightly. He knew he wouldn't be forgiven easily, if at all. He has just sent one of his comrades to her death.

Itsuka finally stood up, and had to be escorted out of the room by a careful Momo, since she wouldn't stop sobbing, while everyone went to do their own business. No one gave a care to Monoma anymore, but it was clear he shouldn't try to talk with any of them, as he would be immediately pushed away, and he sighed in sadness before disappearing into one hallway. Tetsu eventually also calmed down, and he decided to give a try to the pool, thinking it would distract himself from the current load of events.

"Freaking Monoma... Itsuka won't do anything, this I'm sure. And Monoma will be the one to be killed, since his order failed. And I don't mind this at all.", he sighed his eyes closed, still a bit angry, while walking towards the pool upstairs.

"Come on Tetsu, you're being a bit harsh don't you think ? He didn't meant it, why would he wish Itsuka's death after all ?", answered Denki behind him, towel on the shoulder.

"I'm not ! Usually I would try to see the best in everyone, but now ? Our situation is far from a normal one, I can't think rationally. We're all trying to survive, and he just sent Itsuka to her death, shall she decides to obey !"

"But she won't do it ! Momo is reassuring her, don't worry ! She doesn't risk anything, even if she disobeys. Monoma is the one at fault.", affirmed Hanta confidently right next to Denki, "but for now let's not think about it, I just want to relax a bit."

With that being said, the three of them arrived at the pool, next to the gymnasium. The thought of Kirishima's demise came back to Tetsu, but he shook his head to dismiss them, and they entered the pool area. It was blue, to say the least. Straight in front of them, was the pool itself, with the locker rooms on each sided, everything covered in blue and white tiles. For a former military bunker, they sure had money. But moreover, everything was clean, every surface polished.

"Well, how about we take a dip in the pool now guys !"

* * *

At the same side, at the exact opposite of the bunker, Itsuka was curled up in her mattress, weeping silently while clenching her sheets since a good hour now. Momo was sitting right next to her on the ground, and she patted her on the head, trying to reassure her the best she could.

"It's okay Itsuka, you can calm down, you're not going to die. If you don't do this order you're not the one at fault, it's Monoma's. ", she gently whispered, lightly smiling.

"I hope so. But even with that.. I'm still afraid Momo, I don't want to die before seeing the sun again, you know, I'm afraid... This whole situation is scaring me to the bone...", wept Itsuka, raising her head a little.

"I know, and it's scaring all of us, I can promise you that. But we won't give up, we're going to get out together, you're not going to die on my watch !", replied Momo with a confident tone, rubbing Itsuka's back, hoping her words would at least give some will to live longer to her friend.

"You're so strong Momo, really. Since the training with the pro-hero, I admire you, you're so composed and thoughtful. And you've gained some confidence too !"

"Come on, don't say this !", said Momo now blushing lightly, but she knew Itsuka was right. "Well, it seems you're doing better now, that's a relief !", she concluded with a sincere smile, and she hugged her friend tightly.

But their embrace, after lasting for a few minutes, was abruptly interrupted by Bakugo, knocking on the door. From behind the wooden facade, he asked :

" Any of you have seen Monoma ? We've been looking for him, he disappeared after the thing you know."

Confused, Momo stood up, followed by Itsuka, and she opened the door quickly, to face an even more confused Bakugo. Something on her mind was screaming it wasn't right.

" No, we've been in Itsuka's room since we left, and none of us has seen him. Maybe he's in his room ?"

Momo heart started to beat faster, but she didn't knew why. She clenched her fists onto her shirt, looking nervously to the ground. Bakugo replied he didn't, and no one did, and that they should go look for his room then.

"Well, I think his room is a few rooms ahead in front of us. I remember passing next to it when we came here.", said Itsuka with a very worried tone she didn't even tried to hide, unlike Momo.

"Well let's go have a look, you can stay here if you want reddish hair."

Momo and Bakugo then made their way towards Monoma's room, ahead of them in the same corridor, still dark and filled with dust. It didn't took too long for them to find the door of his room, painted with fancy white letters spelling his name.

Everything was silent, absolutely no noise was coming from the room.

Momo lifted her fist and knocked on the wood.

"Monoma, are you alright ? We're looking for you, but don't worry it's not about what happened earlier, Itsuka isn't resentful either !", she said quite gently, to not potentially scare him.

But no response. Momo's heart was now racing even faster than before, and she clenched her shirt again. The collar on her neck was heavier than ever, and she knocked again.

" Monoma, open to us please, it's alright !"

Still no answer to be heard. Bakugo sighed angrily, and banged loudly on the door at his turn, saying he was fed up with his attitude.

But even with a furry of punches and bangs against the door, no one opened to them.

" Maybe he's asleep ? We should take a look...", Momo whispered to Bakugo, who nodded his head in agreement. Thus, Momo pushed against the door, which slowly opened, creaking loudly in the hallway. A gush of fresh air went through the two students, and Bakugo's hand leaned against the wall, looking for the switch to turn on the light.

_"Freaking switch, where it is... Ah, I got it."_

He turned on the light, which flickered, buzzed a few times, and finally illuminated the room.

Only to reveal Monoma's dead body, hanging from the top of the room, blankets tied around his neck with a loose end, completely motionless and pale. His fingers were covered in blood, as if he tried to remove the blankets when regretting his gesture. And almost immediately after their discovery, an explosion burst out farther in the hallway, shaking the walls vividly.

Bakugo and Momo stood in front of the body, completely quiet, the time has stopped for both of them. They were standing in front of their classmate corpse, who was alive a few hours ago. Exactly like Kirishima yesterday. They didn't said a word, and even if they wished, they couldn't.

It was only after they heard a blood-curled scream coming from the corridor that they emerged from their weird trance, and Bakugo immediately ran towards it, as fast as he could, leaving Momo still in utter shock. She lifted her hand, and touched Neito's cheek. Of course it was cold, cold as death. No way he could still be alive. Her eyes started to be filled in tears, and she backed down, holding her chest in disbelief.

"Not again...", she murmured before exiting the room and slamming the door behind herself, almost breaking it.

"He's dead... Oh my god he's dead, I can't believe it, he's dead...! I must warn Itsuka !", she muttered to herself, still in shock. She couldn't believe it, and she wished it was only a bad prank. But after what just happened, obviously it was real.

"Momo, what are you doing here ? You didn't hear the explosion ?", asked somebody behind her.

When she turned, she met with Uraraka and with a very confused face. Momo couldn't hold back her tears, and she cried, collapsing into Ochaco's surprised arms. She only wished to cry right now. She wished for all of it to end.

After a little run towards the source of the explosion and the screams, Bakugo stepped in front of a group of students, gathered in front of Itsuka's cell. They were all making horrified face while looking inside the room. Bakugo knew something horrible was taking place inside the room, so he pushed them without precautions, and managed to take a look by himself.

Inside, lying on the mattress, was the headless body of Itsuka, soaking with blood the sheets and pillows. The head was nowhere to be seen, completely pulverized by the blown, reduced to bloodied ashes. The walls were also covered with splashes of hemoglobin, tainting the room with a reddish tone, almost like her hair. Bakugo felt his stomach going weak, and he jumped aside to puke.

"What are you all doing here ? We were at the pool so... No way. Please tell me this isn't what I think it is.", interrupted the joyful and relaxed now worried voice of Tetsutesu, followed by Hanta and Denki.

Without any answers and judging by the saddened looks he was given, he knew. And he make a ran to the doorstep, pushing against the students, and soon let out a scream full of despair and grief, a scream filled with everything but hope. He fell to his knees, weeping and punching the ground so hard the door trembled.

"Fuck, you must be kidding me ! Tell me you're joking, she can't be dead, no she can't ! She can't be dead because of this fucking order !"

And to answer him, the screen sprinkled with blood inside the room buzzed on, showing signs of activity, and the maniacal robotic laugh erupted from the speakers, filling the room. It was clear the abductor was having a really funny moment, and he directed his voice to Tetsutesu.

"Well well well, looks like someone's crying. You little prick. Haven't you went to the pool, she would still be alive, you could have saved her ! You're such a waste Tetsutesu, a piece of garbage, worthless piece of trash. Use-less, you hear me !"

Tetsu raised his head, tears pouring from both eyes, and his hands covered in bruises. He grabbed his shirt and squeezed, speaking very hesitantly and incomprehensibly, looking for words deformed by grief and sorrow.

"I tried to save her, I was sure Monoma's was the one at fault, for freak's sake. She didn't asked for any of this, you psycho ! Monoma isn't the one who killed her, you did !"

"Well played bummer, I was the one who killed her. And I only did it because I wanted to see your face when you'll realize it, and it was worth it so much ! Man you made my day. And damn right I'd kill her, even if Monoma is already dead. Oops, did I said that out loud ?", scoffed the voice, still tying to hold back his laugh.

"What... Monoma too ? You can't resist bloodlust can't you, you're crazy you know that !", shouted Kyoka, shaking out of fear, while Tetsutesu now couldn't even stop sobbing to the ground, his voice muted by all the screams he has just made.

"I know for sure, I was the one who kidnapped all of you and threw you into the bunker, so killing someone doesn't sound bothering to me. Hell yeah I'm crazy, and I love it ! Your faces, my gosh you are priceless ! Well I had enough of you, see you soon fellas !", he finished, before turning the TV off, plunging the cell into a pure silence of dread, cut by the sobs of Tetsutesu.

Nobody moved, nor dared to move a single inch. The shock of the situation was hitting them like a train. If someone was still in denial of what was happening to them, it definitely was cut short by two news deaths.

_Life itself was of no value for the mastermind._

End of day 2.

Deaths : 3

Alive : 23


	3. Day 3

_Wide awake._

Of course, Aizawa couldn't sleep, looking straight up to the roof of his cell, eyes wide opened. He was the only adult of the group, the only pro-hero, and yet he was failing to protect his students. So far, already 3 of them have passed away, two of them not even a few hours ago, in the most gruesome way possible.

Aizawa sighed. "This is insane. How does someone even like doing these things, I can't grab an explanation. Even Shigaraki isn't that perverted and deranged.", he muttered under his breath, still staring at the ceiling. That was hopeless, the whole situation was hopeless.

He saw how the students were horrified when they discovered the body of Itsuka. The majority screamed, many puked, a few fainted, but clearly all of them wished for it to end, and to escape this place as soon as possible. But it was hopeless to even think it would be an option. They couldn't call for help, and any act of rebellion would be punished by death.

And their abductor would take an immense pleasure seeing them dying, either by killing them or witnessing students murdering each other.

"I would not be even surprised if it happened. It's only the beginning, but in a few weeks they would crave for an escape, by any possible mean. And I would be powerless to stop it. Am I really that useless...?", Shouta asked himself, not sure for the answer he was seeking.

Whatever it was, whatever this answer will be, he should be sleeping now. He was tired, even more than usual, so much his eyes were starting to close up, his eyelids were feeling heavy.

"Come on, I should take some rest... Who knows what tomorrow will be."

With that being said, the teacher rolled on the side and closed his eyes, falling into the sleeping realm.

* * *

Not much later, the traditional alarm, set at 7 AM, rang and the loud, noisy voice of the abductor made its way through the bunker, like every morning.

"It's now 7 AM, everyone wake up, be ready to face another beee-autiful day !"

The noise faded away as quick as it came, and Shota opened his eyes, rubbing them with his backhand. In the end he managed to sleep a bit, but he was still feeling tired. Probably because he knew another order will appear very soon. It would only be the third, but for Aizawa it seemed like an eternity already went on.

After a quick clean-up, he dressed up with his customary outfit, and left his room, slowly closing the creaking door behind him. Again, he was meeting up with the darkened hallway, but he knew the way to the main room, and quickly made his way inside it.

While walking, he noticed Itsuka's room was already completely cleaned up, no body was left to hang around, and all the splattered blood had disappeared. Aizawa clenched his teethes, angered and saddened by the lack of compassion from their abductor, throwing bodies away God knew where as if nothing happened.

When Shouta finally entered the main room, he noticed the majority of the students were already gathered at the tables, eating their breakfast in small groups. Tsuyu saw him walking through the doors, and waved her hand towards him to greet him, sitting to the closest table.

"Hello Aizawa-sensei, did you slept well, even with yesterday's events ?", she genuinely asked, caring for the well being of her teacher.

"Hello to you Tsuyu. I tried, but I couldn't sleep for a few hours, my mind was wandering around. So I'm still pretty tired."

"Then in this case, maybe eating will cheer you up a little and give you some energy ? You can even get coffee fom the kitchen."

In a normal situation, Aizawa wouldn't be the kind of teacher to eat with his students, nor talking with them so informally, but it was far from a normal situation. So he slightly nodded, and grabbed a whole pot of coffee, slowly drinking up next to Tsuyu and her circle of friends. The smell of good, freshly roasted coffee...

At least this pleasure was still here, even if it was very minor.

"Excuse me, Aizawa sensei ?", raised a curious and worried voice behind Tsuyu.

"Yeah, I'm here. Who is it ?", asked back Aizawa, peeking into the coffee pot, to tired to focus on much else.

"It's me, Izuku. I just wanted to reassure you, because you don't seem to be doing well..."

Aizawa sighed lightly but smiled just after, still staring at the pot. His student was still the very same, even in their situation, caring more about other than himself.

"Yes, I won't lie, I'm not doing so well Izuku. But it's fine, you can mind your own business, you have your own problems to care about.", he replied, now looking to Midoriya with a composed face.

"Maybe, but I can't ignore my teacher feeling down. We need you sensei, we really do ! Maybe you're thinking you were useless until now, but you shouldn't, we can't really avoid what's coming after us, we can only fight upfront and stay strong."

Hearing such support coming from Izuku made Aizawa's heart beating a bit faster, and he smiled a bit more, but this time it was a friendly smile. Such a rare sight on his face.

"Well... Thanks Izuku. You're really brave, I can't deny it. Fine, I'll stay strong, if you need me.", he answered with an affirmative nod, making Izuku smiling with a quite peaceful smile in return.

They ended up their meal in a more warm atmosphere, chatting about various subjects together. Aizawa stayed silent most of the time, but he was a little happier deep inside. At least, his students, not only Izuku, were still supporting him despite his helplessness.

When they were truly over with the breakfast, they washed their dishes and everyone gathered in front of the TV, as usual now. But Aizawa was quivering and really anxious, standing behind all of his pupils. Something was telling him today's order would be very special. But he couldn't tell about how it would be.

As expected, the screen buzzed on again, illuminating the room in its pasty light, and the cynic voice blasted through the loudspeakers, seemingly more excited than yesterday.

"Well hello everyone, how was your night ? I bet you didn't hanged around for long, to avoid a head bursting with all these noises ! Gosh I'm so funny guys. Well, I don't care anyways, but I do care about our special order today ! Have fun with it, you're going to love it !"

"Yeah, just shut up please...", mumbled quietly Mina, squeezing her sheet between her hands as the red letters were writing the deadly order.

**"Student Mineta Minoru must grab the chest of the girls still alive by the end of the day."**

A loud feminine gasp echoed through the room, and everyone looked away from the screen to face Mineta, all of the girls visibly flustered, staring at the screen confused, as if his brain had a short circuit.

"What ?! There's no way I'll let this gremlin touching my chest ! Are you batshit crazy or something ?", shouted Mina in horror and disgust, holding her chest against her.

"This order must be a joke, right ? It can't be true...", mumbled Ochaco, glaring blankly at the screen.

"Wait, it's not over yet, the letters are moving again !", said Hanta, showing the screen with his finger, as the letters were effectively moving again.

This time, they wrote something even more sinister than a gremlin grabbing boobs.

**"If Mineta didn't touched all of the girls, then the ones he didn't will die, along with him. If he succeed in his task, both Mineta and the girls will receive points."**

"Points ? Oh, he must be talking about the points to be set free ! Everyone will get some then ?", realized Denki, rubbing his chin in surprise, while the girls were still looking at Mineta in disgust.

"Come on, you should obey him ! If you don't you're all going to die ! You don't want that, right ?", angrily shouted Bakugo to the girls, surprised by his reaction.

Aizawa clenched his fists, not knowing what to do. He promised to stay by their side for as long as his students needed him. Now would be the perfect time to assume his role as a teacher again. Determined to take action, he moved away the pupils in front of him and stood up before the girls and Mineta.

"I know what you are thinking, you don't want to be touched by someone you didn't asked to. But if you refuse, you'll either going to die, loose a friend of be forced to cope with the guilt of letting someone die. And I know what I am talking about, you're my students damnit."

Noticing how everyone was listening to him, even the boys, he lightly smiled behind his scarf and collar. Maybe it would work out in the end. He continued :

"And the only possibility you have to avoid a certain death is letting Mineta touching you. The abductor said he must grab, but never precised Mineta should be grabbing them form a whole 10 minutes ! So I think if he just grabs for a second then let go, it'd be enough !"

"I don't want to see another death, I really don't wish to. So for whatever you want's sake, let him touch you, and everyone will be able to carry on their lives ! You'll even win some points ! It's not much, but please, let's avoid unnecessary deaths if we can."

With that being said, Aizawa went silent again and crossed his arms, waiting for the students reactions. He'd never thought he would be making an encouraging speech, even much about the subject of Mineta, so he didn't knew what to expect as a reaction.

After a few more seconds of utter silence, everyone started shouting about how their teacher was right, how the girls should make an effort to avoid death, and soon enough, the girls seemed to finally cope with the idea. Yet, unexpectedly the high-pitched voice of Mineta spoke up :

"I'm not sure if I really want to do this. I like girls yeah, but touching all of their chests... Even I have my limits you know ! Even for me that's very perverted !", he said with a desesperate look on the face.

But upon hearing him, Momo pushed two of her comrades, and kneeled down in front of Mineta, grabbing his hand. Mineta's heart started to beat faster, as he was now facing Momo's chest. She whispered softly, but clearly determined :

"I won't mind. I'll do it for Itsuka's sake, if for nothing else."

And she squeezed Mineta hand before putting it on top of her breasts for a few seconds, then she stood up again, leaving him very bewildered.

"You see, you just need to do it for a few seconds. And you'll stay alive, as we'll do.", she gently smiled, hoping to reassure him.

Mineta looked up and down Momo's whole silhouette, and he started to tear up a little, water in both eyes. It was the first team a girl was being nice with him, and she even gave him the confidence he needed to carry on his deed. He sniffed and rubbed his nose, and he smiled back to her.

"Thanks Momo... I'll do it, I'm going to save all of you !", Minoru eagerly said, bumping his fists together.

Yaorozu nodded in agreement. She was glad Mineta was finally sticking to his old guns. Following her, every one of the girl eventually accepted to let Mineta touching their breast, even Ibara, and the task was completed in less than 10 minutes. For once, the day would end without any deaths.

"I can't believe it... We just managed to fulfill this task in a very short amount of time. The abductor must be furious.", observed Shoto, now sitting at one of the tables, looking nonchalantly at the group of girls surrounding Mineta.

"Indeed. He surely thought the girls would refuse at all costs. But in a situation of crisis, it's vital to cooperate with the others.", affirmed Tokoyami, with his habitual frowned face.

"Man can't y'all just stop with the big words ? I'm just happy they're still alive !", complained Denki, a the exact moment everyone was standing up to go to the screen again, as it was now powered up.

As usual, after everyone gathered, the abductor talked again, clearly annoyed.

"Well, congrats to you. You succeeded. Take your fucking points now."

And like for Izuku, small papers rolled down the pipe beneath the TV, ending up inside a small box, and Kyoka reached for them. One for each girl and Mineta, all stamped with a 5.

"5 points ? That's all ? It's not much...", she sighed, giving them to her friends as the abductor's loud voice spoke again.

"Be grateful brat, I shouldn't even give any of them to you, since the task was completed within 15 minutes. So boring, so annoying ! Urgh you're boring me, this task was supposed to be a hard one. We'll see again tommorow, now bye."

It was obvious that the abductor was boiling with rage inside. But he knew he couldn't do much, as he will go against his own rules, so the only thing he could do was waiting for the next order, and it sure will be very hard to complete.

Shoto glared for a few more seconds at the now black screen, his head filled with several feelings, and he turned to face his friends.

"Well, it seems we have the rest of the day off. Maybe we should take this opportunity to explore more ? There is still floors we haven't tried to look into before.", he suggested.

"Yes, we definitely should. Maybe we'll learn more about our situations, I'm definitely up for it.", approved Ochaco, nodding in agreement, but she then said : "But not all of us need to go, right ? We already know there's only one floor under us."

"Yeah she's right, only a few of us should go explore, we need to rest too. When was the last time we slept correctly ?"

"Leave it to me. Please.", almost begged a voice behind Ochaco, who soon enough appeared to be the one of Tetsutesu, still looking down. He was probably trying to fill his mind with something else than the grief.

"Fine, you'll go. But I don't want you to go alone."

"I'll be going with him ! That'd do the job, right?", suddenly said Denki, circling Tetsu's shoulder with his arm. "I'll cheer him up a little !"

Shoto was a little bewildered by the proposition. If Denki was going, the exploration wouldn't be very serious, and he might forget to look for clues. He thought a bit more, and his eyes met up with Momo's ones.

"Momo, do you mind going with them ? It's better if you go, with your intellect you'll sure find something useful.", he asked, almost ordered.

"Wait, me ? I accept if you wish, I don't mind...?", she replied, a bit confused.

Shoto smiled, satisfied. With those three, the exploration will be more effective than if it was a dozen or so.

In the end, Momo, Denki and Tetsutesu grouped up together, accompanied by Shoto and Aizawa until the doors leading to the staircase. The teacher whispered before opening the steady doors :

_"Come back in one piece, it's better."_

Momo shivered lightly, but nodded, and pushed the boys through the doorstep as the doors closed behind them in a loud, creaky noise. Like last time, they were facing stairs going up on the left and stairs going down on the right.

"He said we have already explored downstairs. Let's go up."

On the second landing, the doors to the gymnasium were still wide open, nobody has closed since Kirishima's death. Tetsu squeaked silently, and asked to move up already.

When setting foot on the third landing, they immediately noticed another row of steps on their right, meaning at least one another floor was up to explore, and the same doors as before.

"This bunker is huge... We'll focus on this floor for now.", seriously intimated Momo, before opening the two doors, covered in cracks.

When opened, they first reaveled a fresh flow of air, freezing Denki's whole body, and a lot of dust. Obviously, this place was abandoned and no one set foot inside for quite a long time. A few cobwebs fell to the ground.

"It's the same as before, a left away floor. I really wonder why this place is in such a state.", Momo asked herself, now peeking inside the gaping hole they created.

It was completely dark, but Tetsu has brought a flashlight, so he pointed the streak of light in the darkness, revealing even more dust and a small corridor, seemingly shaped in a T.

"I can't see anything past the intersection further. Spotless walls, nothing on them not even doors... Wait, there's a camera in the corner !", he said in surprise, at the same moment the camera's eye glowed in red, meaning it was one.

"I think the kidnapper can see us here too... He's everywhere gosh !"

"Stay calm, he is not going to do anything to us. We have cameras in our rooms, so it's only natural to find one here too."

The boys agreed with Momo, and they entered the corridor, still looking suspiciously at the camera, quickly reaching the intersection.

On the left, the corridor was still going, while on their right, a big door stamped with a decaying" School" sign was facing them.

"Aw come on, school is following us everywhere, even in this weird bunker !"

"But more importantly, why is there a school in the first place ? It does not make any sense since we are in a military installation."

"Well, whatever is behind this door, we gotta explore right ? Then let's open it.", prompted Tetsu, before kicking the door open after turning the handle proved unsuccessful.

When the flashlight illuminated the room, it caught several desks and chairs in its light, children sized. Some childish drawings were still on the desks, and a few tossed on the ground.

"What, child's stuff ? It makes even less sense now !", complained Denki, rubbing his head in frustration, not understanding a thing.

"Wait, there's probably a switch somewhere... Here it is !"

As Momo flickered the switch, neons buzzed in the ceiling, now completely illuminating the room. Now that they were seeing everything 8n front of them, they could distinguish that the school was only one room, but arranged in the fashion of a classroom. A whiteboard was nailed in the back of the room, clean of all writting.

"It's weird... This room is empty but everything is clean, aside from the dust. As if it was almost never used..."

"Yeah, just a few child's drawings, scattered here and there. Wait, there's a corkboard here too !" , realized Tetsu, showing the side of the room, behind a pillar.

"A corkboard ? Maybe we can find some informations pinned on it."

Tetsu nodded, and walked towards the board, pushing chairs and desks in his path, followed by his two fellows students, and stopped right in front of it, eyes scanning all the papers nailed.

Most of them were about school lessons, but one in particular caught his eye.

"Wait, this one's strange...", he mumbled while grabbing the leaflet.

"What does it says ? Anything useful ?"

"Let me read... It says... Stuff about cryogenic experiments, allowing people to sleep together ? What the hell ?", grumbled Tetsu, watching over the paper in utter surprise.

"What ? Let me read, I'll understand !"

With that being said, Momo snatched it from Tetsu's hands despite his protests and started to read.

_"Dears parents, this paper is made to reassure you about the cryogenic experiments you are going to be a part of, as your children will when everyone will be gathered. You'll be put into a peaceful sleep thanks to our last cryogenic invention, with your children, to ensure our survival in the futur. "_

"A cryogenic sleep ? Well it's a military bunker so hearing an experiment like that doesn't really surprise me, but that's straight up sci-fy we're talking about !", said Tetsu, even more confused than before.

"I don't know... We don't know anything about what happened here, but maybe it's the key to a possible escape !"

"Man, that's sick... This bunker was used to house the persons taking part in the experiment ? I understand why it's so big !"

Momo and the boys were still in shock. Everything was only becoming more and more complex and hard to understand.

_Is it even made to be understandable ?_

_Day 3_

_Alive : 23_

_Deaths : 3_


	4. Day 4

Still holding the pamphlet, Momo's hand started to shiver a little. As Tetsu already said, the fact they found a paper that didn't looked like a fake talking about cryogenic sleep was coming straight from a sci-fi movie, it was really hard to believe. But the evidence was there and was undeniable, their situation was far more complex than what it seemed.

"What should we do ? Continue the exploration or come back to the group ?", asked Denki, now worried about their situation.

"Let's keep exploring for now, there is still rooms we haven't explored, they might contain something useful.", replied Momo with a firm expression, tossing the pamphlet inside her pocket.

The boys agreed, and after a quick look-up in the class that proved useless, they left the room, shutting the door tight, and they walked toward the other part of this floor, straight in front of them.

With his flashlight, Tetsu illuminated the path, revealing an empty corridor filled with only dust, as the classroom before. On each side, a few doors could be seen, some were opened but the majority was closed. Tetsu quivered and rubbed his arms, sighing in anxiousness.

"Please, don't tell me we're going to find more childish stuff. The ones in the classroom made me feel uncomfortable."

"Probably not, but I don't have a single idea of where these doors might lead to. We should open one."

Tetsu reluctantly accepted, and grabbed the doorknob of the first door on his left and pushed. But the door didn't move at all, even when he tried to push with more strength.

" It won't budge ! Maybe it's closed with a key ? But if it's the case we won't found it, this bunker is way too big."

"Try kicking it maybe ? This place is old, so the door is probably rotted inside. A good kick will do the job !", affirmed Denki with a goofy smile, before kicking so hard in the door it slammed against the wall inside in a loud thump.

Momo and Tetsu almost facepalmed themselves, while Denki still smiled ankwardly. At least the room was now accessible. Peeking inside, the students only found several small beds, clearly sized for children, but all completely naked from sheets, only bare mattresses stocked up together.

"Come on, really ? I'm fed up seeing child stuff... This room seems like a dormitory for the kids that went to that school we saw sooner.", sighed Tetsu, rummaging through the mattresses.

"Yes, probably, it's becoming weirder now, even more because this room, like the classroom, is clearly unused. I don't understand anything...", complained Momo, still thinking about the cryogenic sleep they read about before. Everything was confused in her mind right now.

After a few more minutes of searching, they resumed the exploration and left the dormitory, Testu still feeling uneasy. The rest of the floor proved to be filled with rooms all related to childs like a nursery or a playground, nothing useful or that could help them in escaping the bunker. In every corner of each room, a camera was watching over them like a shepherd among his sheep.

"Well, we should stop the exploration for now and come back to the group, I'm getting tired.", suggested Momo, almost resting against the wall.

"Yeah, they're probably waiting for us, we spent at least 3 hours searching this floor. Let's go."

Then the three of them walked back to their comrades, and as expected a few were waiting in front of the door, serious faces and crossed arms. Upon seeing them, Aizawa sighed in relief, relieved to see they were still alive after a journey into the unknown, and he asked :

"Well, did you find anything useful, such as informations or a way to escape ?"

"No, nothing, really. We just found a bunch of rooms related to kids, including a classroom, it seems childs used to live there.", answered Denki, before being slammed in the head by a desperate Tetsu, who continued.

"We also found a pamphlet pinned in the classroom. It says stuff about cryogenic sleep... Momo, show him the paper !"

Urged to, Momo grabbed the pamphlet and handed it over to her teacher, who took it and read it carefully, analyzing every word written on this piece of paper. When he was finished, he grimaced and rolled his eyes, and tossed the paper in his pocket at his turn.

"In a normal situation, I'd be thinking you're making fun of me, showing me such unrealistic things. But we know we're locked up in a military bunker and an abductor is giving us deadly orders, so I'm willing to believe that cryogenic sleep is real."

"But even knowing that, it doesn't really help us, right ? We didn't find any doors leading outside, nor informations about an escape route."

"Yes, I'm painfully aware of it, but..."

Aizawa then grabbed Tetsu by the shoulders and squeezed lightly, before adopting a more paternal tone, unusual for him.

"But knowing this offers us a small hope, something to cling onto. It means there is a possible way to escape, since the persons involved in this project somehow entered the bunker, by giving us this information you're giving us hope. And I'm thanking you for it."

Tetsu's eyes opened widely and he blushed a bit, not really used to being complimented, even less by an adult, and even more less by a teacher. He smiled in return and bowed while mumbling ankwards thanks, while Aizawa congratulated his two comrades.

After this small exchange of hopes, Aizawa genuinely smiled and told them to go back to their rooms, as they still had a few more hours to kill before dinner, even though Rikido and the girls were already cooking in the kitchen, humming happy songs together. The atmosphere altogether was lighter than before.

Without feeling the heavy weight of this collar around his neck, Tetsu could almost sworn they were in a field trip right now, befriending each other and chatting happily. But the sad truth was still very present, as present as this collar, and within a second the abductor could kill all of them. Tetsu shrugged it off the best he could and disappeared into his room until dinner time.

But at the exact opposite of the bunker, looking at the ceiling of his room, Izuku sighed bitterly and rolled in his bed, his mind full of intrusive thoughts. Nobody in the group brought the subject up until now, but Izuku couldn't stop thinking about his mom, and more largely about the outside world.

The police and the heroes were probably searching for them, their parents deadly worried, while the school's reputation itself took a serious blow, unable to stop an entire class vanishing into thin air.

But being cut from the outside world, away from everything and everyone, unable to call for help and unable to know anything of what was happening in the surface... Izuku's mental health was taking it pretty badly. Him whom cherished his mom more than anything else was sick-worried about her, and desired even more to escape.

Izuku squeezed his dirties sheets against his chest and started to cry in utter silence, his cries muffled by the pillow. He only wished to know if his mom was alright, he had enough if being held captive. But he knew that despite all resources the heroes could gather and mobilize in order to find them, they wouldn't. Nobody will come to save them, and their only escape was in these orders.

* * *

The dinner itself took place without any incidents, Momo explained the discoveries of the day, cheering up the atmosphere a little bit, and everyone chatted and talked to forget their situation for a few hours, helped by a delicious chocolate cake baked by Rikido. After being filled with food, everyone went to sleep, and the bunker fell silent until next morning.

And this morning, Tetsu was feeling energetic for an unknown reason, and couldn't stop sharing his energy with his friends, even while eating the frugal breakfast. He slept well indeed, but he was probably the only one.

"Tetsutesu, stop shaking your legs under the table like this, it's highly inappropriate and you're moving the table !", almost yelled Tenya in the middle of the meal, hurting the ears of the unfortunates eating next to him.

"Oh, sorry ! I'm just eager to see today's order, so we can do it on a few minutes like yesterday and have the rest of the day to ourselves."

"I understand, but please stop moving so much ! You're disturbing the peace of this meal !"

"You should look at yourself before saying that...", mumbled Tetsu, a bit annoyed by Tenya's moral, before finishing his plate of grilled bread and butter. Next to him, Izuku's eyes were red, showing he cried himself to sleep, and he was staring blankly at his bowl.

The breakfast ended in a relative peace, and everyone gathered in front of the big screen hanging over the main door, which powered itselft pretty quickly. As usual, the screen buzzed and the robotic voice spoke up, covering the hubbub of the students crowd.

"Well well, seems like you had a great breakfast y'all, right ? Well sorry to kill the atmosphere with my order, wait in fact I don't give a single shit ! Now now, I have talked enough, have fun with this one !"

Tetsu frowned, noticing how the abductors voice seemed to be more mischievous than before, almost like a kid who just did something stupid. He discretly tapped on his neighbor's shoulder, Sero, and whispered :

"What's with his voice ? I'm getting bad vibes from him right now..."

"What, you too ? Yeah, I noticed it, I think he's really eager to show us his order. Almost like you were eager to execute it eheh ! Sorry, I'll stay quiet."

As Sero finished his sentence, the irreplaceable letters wrote the order of the day, this time taking longer than usual. The order seemed to be quite long, and it finally appeared. Scripted in curvy red letters. Red like the blood which that shall be shed.

**"Someone must die in the hour that is coming, and the killer mustn't be discovered by the end of the day. Failing this order will result in half of the survivors to be terminated."**

And a maleficent, deranged laugh blasted through the loudspeakers, sometimes interrupted by bumps against a hard surface. The kidnapper was literally dying of laughter.

"Oh my God, please tell us you're kidding ! You can't be serious, suddenly begged Kyoka, falling on her knees, holding her chest in pain, on the verge of crying.

But the abductor didn't even answered her, and kept on laughing at their misery, eventually going silent after several minutes. The room was now deadly silent, everyone glaring at each other. No matter what was going to happen today, somebody was sentenced to die, and there's nothing to be done about it.

"Sir, what should we do ? If we can do something, that is the problem.", asked Shoto, turning to face Aizawa behind him, who was still bewildered by the order.

"Um, don't do anything about it. I think he's just bluffing, he won't kill half of the students, he just can't. If he does, he'd enjoy our demise less, since we'd be less populous, and our interactions would be restricted.", he replied with a rather confident smile, only to be but short by Bakugo.

"Cut this bullshit ! You want me to remind you he killed Kendo without any mercy ? And that he instantly decapitated Eijiro when his hands were close of the collar ? He won't hesitate to exterminate us if it pleases him !"

"Bakugo, calm down, you won't help anything by yelling like this ! We must find a solution together, there's probably one !", shouted Mina while grabbing Bakugo's arm before being violently shoved away by him.

"I won't ! Stop thinking we're all going to be alive by the end of the day ! Someone must die, this is the only solution ! Now, if you want to discuss about who'll be the magnificent fucker killing himself, do so without me."

"Kacchan, wait please ! We -"

But even Midoriya couldn't stop him from leaving the room, angrily shutting the door behind him. He sighed, disappointed by his friend's reaction. He knew it was his way to cope with the situation, being realistic, but bursting out in anger wouldn't solve anything.

"Let's just keep things cool down for now, and let's meet again in 20 minutes. I think it's the best for everyone...", suggested Ochaco, and everyone nodded in agreement. The tension was too high right now to do anything.

Everyone scattered into the room, and some went back to their cells. Tetsutesu sat down at one of the table and put his head between his arms, trying to think of something happy to counter the fact he might be dead before midnight. But nothing came to mind. The happy humming of yesterday will be transformed into a macabre eulogy.

Tetsu squeezed his head, desperately trying to find something happy, anything to counter the despair overwhelming him. But he only realized they were trapped down here for good, unless they'll find more clues about the cryogenic sleep, and whatever happened here. An almost spotless bunker, it wasn't right.

"Tetsu, what are you thinking about ? You seem a bit down.", suddenly said a feminine voice, grabbing his shoulder from behind.

Tetsu jumped and almost fell from his chair, and turned back to meet with Tsuyu, curiously poking her cheek, head lifted on the side.

"Oh, Tsuyu ! I didn't hear you coming. Nothing in particular, I'm just trying to think about something else than this order, but I can't think of anything and it's frustrating me..."

"I see... And the fact we'll discuss again about it in 20 minutes isn't really helping us. Do you think someone will sacrifice themselves ?", she asked sitting in front of him.

"I don't know... The order said the killer mustn't be discovered until the end of the day. But what if he is ? Does he die ? Does half of us die ? The order is too vague, we can't be sure abort what'll happen...", sighed Tetsu.

"Yes, that's true, and in the case of a sacrifice or a suicide, does it mean the body mustn't be discovered ? I'm sure the abductor didn't gave much details to see even more despair among us."

"Yeah, this bastard is probably grinning in overwhelming joy right now..."

Tsuyu sadly nodded and rested her head on both hands, closing her eyes. She seemed to be tired, understandable. Most of them didn't slept well since the beginning of their journey towards death. Sleep deprivation could also be a way to their abductor to control them and make sure to keep them obedient.

He was tormenting them directly and indirectly, as the orders weren't already enough...

But a scream of horror erupted in the hallway next to them a few seconds later, followed by running footsteps, and both Tetsu and Tsuyu jumped in their seats, him catching trying to catch his breath.

"What was that scream ?! It came from the corridor right there !", he yelled in surprise, pointing to the doors leading to the said corridor, shut tight.

"Please don't tell me it's what I think it is...", muttered Tsuyu, already making a run to the door, pushing them open, followed by Tetsutesu still holding his chest. Behind them in front of the doors, a few others students who heard the scream as well were peeking inside the hallway with surprised and worried faces, still to dark to see anything.

"Wait, I think I still have my flashlight...!", said Tetsu while running in the obscurity, following the footsteps of Tsuyu.

"Then light it, now ! Or... Oh please no...", she suddenly answered, taking a horrified tone.

"What's going on ? Freaking flashlight...!"

Tetsu finally managed to grab it in his pocket, and pointed the beam of light in front of him, to reveal a stunned Tsuyu, slowly walking back towards him.

He was about to ask her what was wrong, when he noticed the puddle of blood she walked into, colorizing her shoes in a horrendous red.

And inside the puddle, a lifeless hand, covered in the very same blood.

"Oh for fuck's sake...", he muttered, feeling his whole body shivering in horror and dread, as he was now illuminating the whole body.

Going back up from the hand, the light revealed blond, curly hair and an open mouth, still quietly screaming in horror, and finally blue, empty eyes, staring straight in from of them, witnesses of an unseen horror. His throat was sliced up in a messy way, wetting his clothes with his blood.

"Oh my god, it's Yuga... Tsuyu, back down now ! Quick, back down !", shouted Tetsu, grabbing her by the waist, pulling her close to him and away from Yuga's lifeless body.

She broke down in cries and grabbed him by the chest, sobering inside his shirt, pressing against him.

"Please tell me this isn't real ! Not another one ! Why did he died ?! Why this way, why in a gruesome way !", she hiccuped between two sobs, almost falling in Tetsu' arms, who was holding her, still looking in disbelief at the body.

Judging from his expression, no longer smiling, and his throat, completely sliced up, Yuga died in a painful way. Tsuyu was right, nobody should go this way...

"Come on, we have to go find mister Aizawa and tell him ! Stay with me Tsuyu !", Tetsu said while looking right into her watered eyes.

"Yes, we should... He didn't had to die, not like this...", she sobered more silently, her voice going weaker. And the second after she fainted right in his arms, her head bumping against his shoulder.

"Shit... The others are too far away, they won't hear me if I call for help ! Let me just grab this flashlight... Oh my God Yuga..."

Tetsu decided to carry Tsuyu in his arms, absolutely not leaving her here, before grabbing his flashlight who fell onto the ground.

But as he bent down to grab it, he noticed another silhouette, farther in the hallway, lying against the stony ground.

"Wait, don't tell me..."

Within seconds, Tetsu ran towards the silhouette and illuminated it, cutting in the dark with the light. And he gasped in horror, covering his mouth in horror. He backed down a little, his hand now shaking violently, randomly sweeping the corridor with his light.

Lying face against the ground, Shoto's dead body was in the middle of an even larger puddle of blood, coming straight from his chest and stomach. From where he was, Tetsu couldn't see the wounds on the corpse, but he knew Shoto was stabbed several times, probably by surprise.

"It's even more bloody than Yuga's... Freak, what the hell ? Who could've done this ?! Why two ? Shit, I'll go get Aizawa.", Tetsu thought to himself, before running back towards the exit of the corridor, squeezing firmly an unconscious Tsuyu against him.

But suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the hallway, as he heard the doors ahead of him closing up.

**_But from the inside._**

Day 4  
Deaths : 5  
Alive : 21


	5. Day 5

Frozen in terror, Tetsu's legs shivered as he held even more firmly Tsuyu against his chest. If the doors were closed from the inside, it could only mean whoever killed Shoto and Yuga was still roaming in the hallway, hidden in the dark, as there wasn't any power in the corridors, and this person was probably driven with malicious intentions. If Tetsu was going to be found, it wouldn't be to do a friendly handshake.

"Gosh, what the heck ! I'm locked up with them, two dead bodies behind me and Tsuyu. What can I do ? Fuck, I can't let them found me.", he quickly thought to himself, catching his breath under the panic.

He first tried to open the wooden door on his left, leading to a random cell, but was unable to even budge it. He tried with the following but still couldn't avail : he won't be escaping the killer by hiding in a room.

"I'm sure this psycho is toying with me too...", he grunted while looking at the the camera, observing with in a menacing silence as the ran past another set of doors.

But the other direction was leading to the end of the hallway, a hard wall made of cracked concrete. The doors located here were also completely locked. Then, Tetsu remembered that they could be controlled from afar, as they were closed with electricity the day they awoke in their cells. Meaning the abductor was effectively playing with him.

"What an ass ! What can I do, what can I do...", Tetsu muttered, looking over all directions, when suddenly a loud bump resonated through the hallway and pierced the relative silence, coming ahead from him.

As Tetsu froze in place again, the bump echoed again, this time closer. It sounded like a metallic object, regularly bumping against the concrete. He couldn't move and only stared in the dark, overwhelmed with goose bumps, the back of his hair raising in distress.

Whoever the killer could be, they were coming closer each second passing by, and certainly wouldn't give any mercy to him. The bumped grew stronger, and Tetsutetsu could now distinguish a sharp and loud sound stroking the wall, between each bump. The weapon.

"Gosh, fuck ! He has a knife, he probably killed Shoto and Yuga with it, what a mess... Goddammit, shit !"

The blade only stroked the wall harder, almost to answer his silent plea, and Tetsu gritted his teeth, consolidating his grip over his friend. He was terrified, to say the least. He was also unarmed and could only count on his quirk as a last resort, and Tsuyu couldn't help him at all.

Then, from the shadows, emerged the predator, rubbing his knife between his fingertips soaked in blood with a deranged and somehow hopeless smile. He dared his gaze upon Tetsu and sadly laughed.

"Oh god, you weren't supposed to notice this Tetsutetsu, I'm sorry...!", he almost cried out, now tapping his weapon.

"You...? What the hell, who could you... Why you, among everyone down here ? What is wrong with you ?!", screamed Tetsu in utter surprise and terror, staring right into the killer's eye. He walked back a bit, but bumped into the wall.

"Why me ? A good question Tetsutetsu, maybe because I want to get out of here, can't you understand me ?! I miss my mom !"

After saying that, Izuku covered his face with a hand to restrain a few tears, and looked again at Tetsu, now completely both angry and saddened.

"I miss my mom, I miss All Might, I can't stay here anymore Tetsu, I'm sick of this place ! I want to get out, even if it means killing someone... Even someone I like ! I killed Shoto, Tetsutetsu ! He was my best friend, I can't be the same anymore !", he shouted at him, swinging his knife around as he was pleading, his voice going husky.

"Then why did you killed him Midoriya, the abductor only said to kill one, not several... You're insane, what happened to you ?!"

"He noticed me, slicing Yuga's throat ! But the kidnapper said to not be witnessed, or the murder wouldn't count ! That's why I ended his life, to avoid breaking the order ! I just want to be free, to set everyone free...", he answered with a sob, rubbing his face with his hand, now covering with in a scary bright red. Tetsu almost puked.

"What the hell Midoriya, you're going nuts... To think you'd kill someone, you...!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Tetsutetsu...! But I'll have to kill you too, you clearly saw the bodies and know who killed them... I can't let you live, as the order would be broken, nor Tsuyu by the way... I'm sorry, please forgive me, it wasn't planned...", Izuku finally sobbed, clearly broke mentally. He didn't know what to do, and it was clear he didn't liked his actions.

His sentence wasn't even finished than he charged towards Tetsu, his knife pointing out in front of him. Tetsu managed to avoid being impaled in the heart by jumping to the side, but was immediately stabbed in the arm afterwards, making him screaming in pain as he hardened himself in metal.

"Midoriya, stop, you don't have to do this !", he said while blocking Izuku's arm, who punched him in the face to replicate.

"I have to, I'm sorry...! If you stay alive, I'll die..."

Tetsu arm was hurting very badly and wetting the floor in dripping blood, as he dodged a second punch by rolling on the ground, kicking Izuku in the legs to make him fall.

"No, shut up, you won't die, you killed enough already ! I know you're not this the kind of person !", he affirmed as he jumped on top of Midoriya, blocking both hands against the ground palms up.

"I don't want to die, I want to see my mom, I killed them because I don't want to die, please understand me... Let go... !", squealed Izuku, shaking his head violently, trying to kick Tetsu in the stomach, even though he was way too heavy.

But Tetsu only maintained his grip against Izuku's wrists despite the pain radiating through his entire arm. Teeth gripped, he bent over Izuku, trying to calm him down. Tetsu could see terror and despair inside Deku's eyes, it was7 clear he was he was going nuts because of their isolation. Maybe the abductor even promised him something if he succeeded.

"Calm down and listen Izuku ! If seeing a body is equal to failing the order, why your collar hasn't exploded yet ? You're still alive !", he said, his steel eyes staring deeply into his soul, as to call it back.

"But the order said to not be discovered..."

"Either he lied or it's enough for him ! Remember he's a psycho who likes to torture us, so your situation is perfect for him, he can enjoy it as much as he wants !"

But as soon as Tetsu said this, the obnoxious and loud recognizable voice erupted from a decaying loudspeaker, above their head, somewhere in the dark, and after an everlasting laugh, he spoke with a delighted tone.

"For once one of your idiots is right. I'm having so much fun right now thanks to you guys ! I don't care if someone saw Izuku or the dead bodies at all, his despair is way too much fun inducing !"

"You're a complete freak... I don't care about what you're thinking, just tell us if the order is accomplished already !", said Tetsu in a exasperated voice.

"Damn brat, I should kill you already too... But it won't be fun at all, and my collars are equipped to provide a painless and quick death. Fine, the order is done. Grab your points in the refectory, Izuku."

Then the voice went quiet, and the doors ahead of the duo opened, emitting a noisy and creaking sound, and almost immediately after loud footsteps running in the hallway. Tetsu sighed in relief, his comrades and Aizawa will be here within any second. But how could he explain about everything that happened behind the closed doors ?

A loud scream farther in the hallway answered him, they saw the bodies before them anyways. Finally, Aizawa pierced through the shadows to find Tetsu on top of a bloody Izuku, strongly pinning him against the ground . His eyesbrows raised in a funny fashion, and he coughed a bit.

"I don't care what you boys are doing, but care to explain why we have Yuga and Shoto lying lifelessy on the floor ? You killed them, didn't you Izuku ?", he asked with a dejected face, glaring at a silent Izuku who only stared at his shoes.

"Yes he did, but because he was desperately trying to find a way to survive ! He's missing his loved ones, it's no secret ! And he ended up nuts because of our situation !", replied Tetsu for him, as he was standing up to face Aizawa.

"We're all missing our loved ones, and weren't killing among ourselves... But at least the order is complete. Now stand up Izuku, and say something for God's sake."

Izuku stood up but stayed quiet, and shoved Aizawa away before disappearing into the darkness, probably going back to his room to spend to rest of the day alone. Who could blame him after all?

Then Shota finally explained what happened after Tetsu ran inside the corridor.

A few minutes later, the doors were closed electronically and despite all of theirs efforts to open them, they didn't budged at all, and only after several minutes they finally opened again. The abductor closed all doors inside the corridor, including the ones leading to the refectory, and at the very same moment they opened, 10 points stamped with Izuku's name fell inside the box beneath the TV.

Tetsu sighed, not really knowing what to do. Theirs deeds were accomplished for the day, but the game was far to be over. Their abductor made it clear, he enjoyed seeing them being abused, tortured and killing each other, slowly losing their minds, but at differents paces. Izuku wasn't the strongest mentally speaking, and he was missing his parents dearly, so it wasn't surprising he was the first one to break down.

After a small exchange with Aizawa, Tetsu, holding Tsuyu, and the teacher went back to the bodies, where they found some students watching over them, including Momo, crying against Todoroki's closed face, wetting her clothes with his blood. Behind her, Shoji was leaning against the wall, while Ochaco was trying to comfort her friend, scarred after learning Izuku was the perpetrator of the crime.

"What, Tsuyu... ? Don't tell me she's...", said a disturbed Shoji, only to be cut down by Tetsu, who answered : "No, she's unconscious. She was the first one to find the bodies."

Shoji seemed relieved, and offered to carry Tsuyu himself to her room, which Tetsu gladly accepted, the pain in his arm was almost unbearable. They didn't knew what to really do with the bodies, but Tetsu knew they were going to be disposed of somewhere else, as the previous ones did.

"Now, what should we do mister ? We're not really in the mood to explore.", asked Tetsu as they were entering the main room.

"Of course not. We should stay calm, everything that happened in the span of half an hour is enough. But if you truly want to explore the remaining floors, I won't stop you, do what you want.", only replied Aizawa, before flying off to his own business, leaving a dumbfounded Tetsu behind him.

Tetsu pondered for a moment, leaning against the wall, ignoring all the noises around him. He realized they were starting to get used to dead bodies, as Aizawa hardly said anything nor seemed surprised when he found the corpses or Izuku covered in blood. Was he expecting things to take a grim turn ? Or was he in fact hiding his shock to reassure the students, despite it breaking his soul ?

And whatever the truth could be, it was insane either way.

* * *

The next morning, Tetsu was awake pretty early on. Lying on his hard mattress, his arm wrapped in a immaculate bandage, and staring mindlessly at the ceiling. The rest of the day went well, excluding the morose atmosphere. Izuku locked himself in his room, and only came out to grab something to eat after everyone was already gone.

But right now, Tetsu's stomach was feeling hungry at his turn. After an hour long fight against his appetite, Tetsu glanced at the clockwork on his wall, currently showing 5:15 AM. At such an hour, everyone would be asleep, so quickly grabbing some food in the kitchen wasn't a problem. Eventually, he gave up, and stood up to exit his room, quietly walking towards the main room.

When he set his naked foot inside the room, everything was silent. Not even the camera or the TV buzzed on, meaning that even their kidnapper was sleeping.

"Well, at least it seems is a human after all. A monster and a freak, sure, but a human person.", Tetsu giggled a bit, before taking a piece of bread from a plate on the counter, when he suddenly heard footsteps not far away from him.

Peaking inside the refectory itself, a piece of bread emerging from the mouth, he then noticed a lone silhouette, wrapped in a blanket, staging standing in front of the board with their faces, showing who was alive and who wasn't. He was talking to himself, but so low it was almost inaudible. Tetsu noticed he was holding a red pen in his fist, and he was doing something on the board.

"A red pen ? Wait, the killed's photos were crossed with a red X... It's the abductor ! No wonder the camera didn't noticed me...", quickly realized Tetsu, before retreating again in the kitchen, his breath going a bit faster than before.

He clearly saw the mastermind behind this deadly game, crossing his passed away comrades as if it was usual for him. But in the dark and so far away, he couldn't grasp any detail about his appearance, the blanket covering the shadowy silhouette was preventing him to distinguish anything.

But the moment Tetsutetsu glanced into the refectory again, the wrapped up shadow had vanished into thin air, now leaving the board with more reddish crosses on its surface. His breath fastened even more, looking into every corner of the room to catch a glimpse of the mastermind, but he was nowhere to be found. He had literally disappeared in the darkness.

"What the hell just happened right now ? He just went away without me noticing... Wait, was there even someone ? Maybe I'm just tired, I could've been hallucinating...", sighed Tetsu, rubbing his eyes before heading back to his room, still the bread inside his mouth.

And he fell asleep again, not even noticing the pair or eyes following his movements, hidden into the obscurity.

* * *

A few hours later, Aizawa awoke at his turn, called out by the ringing TV, announcing the fifth day in the bunker. But for the tired teached, it seemed like an eternity they've been trapped down here, they were loosing every notion of time, as the sun couldn't be seen. He sat in his bed and yawned, rethinking about what happened yesterday.

He didn't show it, but seeing two of his students in a pool of blood, brutally murdered by one of their comrades, was a traumatizing vision. He couldn't stop seeing their wounded bodies inside his head, calling out for help, faces deformed by an intense pain.

But if he was ever showing any sign of panic, how will the pupils would react, knowing even a grown-up adult was terrified by their current situation ?

Aizawa cursed himself, unable to do much. Even his little speech two days ago seemed so far away now. After a few more minutes, he exited his bedroom to head towards the main room, still yawning a bit. After yesterday's order, how could the abductor even ask something more cruel or bloody ?

He reached the refectory quickly and sat down to eat his breakfast, not talking to anyone while the students were chattering among themselves. As expected, Izuku was completely alone, even Ochaco and Tenya were consuming their cereals at another table, afraid and disgusted by his actions.

"Excuse me, mister Aizawa ? I know it might be foolish to ask something like that... But you're going to protect us, right ?", raised a feminine voice behind him.

Not expecting such a question, he turned back, the spoon still in his mouth, to face with a floating uniform, apparently crossing its hands in front of it. Aizawa sighed a bit but smiled, and answered :

"Of course Toru, I'll do my best to protect you. I can't let anyone else die, we already have witnessed enough corpses."

"Hearing you saying that is reassuring sensei, I was a bit afraid... But I'm asking because Ojiro is feeling really down lately, he's sure we won't make it...", muttered Toru, quite worried for her friend.

"But we will make it Toru, as long as you can count on each other you'll survive. So you can free your friend from his worries, he'll make it until the end."

Toru seemed satisfied with this answer, and her collar slightly nodded before returning to another table. Aizawa shrugged it off, not really surprised students were incredibly worried, they risked to be killed every second. At least, Toru wasn't a part of the group who stumbled upon the dead bodies, and thus could sleep a bit easier. Unlike Aizawa.

The breakfast ended up in a stern atmosphere, only sometimes cut by the noises of spoons and knifes against the plates. And everyone silently stood up to gather up in front of the screen. With already 5 casualties, the crowd was noticeably more sparse than before, but only the teacher seemed to pay attention to this detail.

As usual, the screen buzzed, and switched on a few minutes later, even though it took longer than usual this time. A small chuckle resonated in the loudspeakers, and the amused kidnapper spok up.

"Well well, even if yesterday's order didn't go as planned, I had my loads of fun, didn't you ? Anyways, today's order will be this, try to execute it correctly this time, won't you ? Or you might lose your head, eheh..."

The TV screen was again replaced by a deep black screen and red curvy letters, which this time arranged together to form the following sentence, while the audience was still disturbed by this little snigger.

**"Student Tenya Lida must commit a crime before the end of the day, if not he will be terminated."**

As expected, the model student gasped in surprise and let his glasses whe was holding in his hand fall to the ground, breaking into dozens of various glasses pieces. Completely shattered, splattered against the hard ground.

As would be his life after this order.

_Day 5_

_Deaths : 5_

_Alive : 21_


	6. Day 5 (end of the day)

Upon hearing the order, Tenya only stared with blank eyes to the television, unable to say a single word, feets covered in what remained of his glasses. Ordering him to commit a crime was something unexpected, but also a way to hit him directly in the heart, as he was the student now for being well-mannered and strictly following the rules. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Oh gosh, a crime ? But that's... Vague, really, what could be a crime down here ?", asked Kyoka to herself, asking the question no one did.

"Well, I'm not going to find the solution for you, idiots ! I'm sure our model student can find what a crime is by himself ! Anyways, have fun with this order, see ya later alligator !", only replied jokingly the abductor, before the TV turned off.

Everyone was puzzled by the announcement, no one knew what to do. In the contrary, the mastermind sure knew what strings he needed to pull in order to assert his dominance over the students, aiming at morals and things they cherished. Aizawa glared at his students, and one again took the chair of teacher, even in this time of crisis.

"Everyone, go somewhere else, I'll stay with Tenya, in order to find a way to work around what the abductor said. Don't worry, we won't lose someone again.", he calmly said to the students, who only nodded as an answer, and scattered across the bunker for the rest of the day.

Thus, a few decided to explore what remained to be discovered in the bunker, as not all floors have been looked into until now. And since they couldn't really do anything to help their friend, it was wise to put the tome to good use.

While Ochaco decided to stay with the teacher and a distraught Tenya, shoving Izuku away in fear, Tetsutetsu opted to look for Denki and ask him to help him in the exploration, once again.

With a neutral expression, Tetsu firmly walked towards Bakugo's squad, sitting down at a table in the corner of the refectory, gazing upon the 4 friends talking together, but with worried faces, as to be expected. Bakugo himself wasn't grinning anymore, only sighing time to time, seemingly still depressed over the loss of Eijiro.

Who could blame him after all ? Tetsutetsu was still coping with Itsuka's demise. But something down in Tetsu's mind was saying it would be far worse in the end. The boy shivered, banishing this thought out of his mind, and called Denki out, catching the attention of the entire table.

"- Hey Denki, mind if we go explore a bit more ? It'd be better this way and you're actually quite a good explorer, instead of you chatting for nothing.

\- Oy steely hair, don't order him around like this, he's not your damn puppy. If he's better talking with us, leave him be !", instead grunted Bakugo, picking his teeth with a fork.

\- Charming as always Bakugo, I'm only asking 'cause we explored together the days before, and I'm used to his help.

\- It's okay Bakugo, I'll go with him ! I need to stretch my legs a bit by the way, so exploring will combine both exercising myself and helping out our friends !", answered Denki standing up before Bakugo retorted scathingly.

Katsuki only shrugged his shoulders, as it was Denki's wish, and Tetsu sighed in relief, happy to avoid a useless argument that could've easily been avoided. Denki made a silly smile and waved goodbye to his friends, before following a now silent Tetsutetsu to the stairs, still located in the back of the room.

The duo then resumed the exploration once again, walking past the two first floors now cleared out, and stepped on the landing of the third, already plunged into darkness. But as Denki has brought a flashlight, it wouldn't be a problem at all, and he aimed the beam of light against the two weighty doors, covered in a thin coat of dust.

"Dust again ? Seems like no one has used these doors in years. Do you think we still can open them ?", quietly asked Denki.

"Of course, it's the same as before. I'm curious to see what's behind those..."

Tetsutetsu then slowly opened the door, which loudly creaked, and the loose doorknob fell into Tetsu's hand. Surprised, he stared for a few seconds, not really understanding what just happened.

"The doorknob... It fell in my hand. What the hell ?"

"It's because the wood making the door is completely moldy, look, there's mushrooms..."

And as Denki pointed out, ashen and tiny mushrooms were growing in the door itself, weakening its very structure. A gaping hole was located, where a few seconds ago was the doorknob, and a putrid odor suddenly reached the nostrils of the boys.

"Damn, what's with the odor ? It's stinking so hard right now, like garbage ! Oh gosh, I think I'm going to puke...", said Denki, pinching his nose in disgust, while Tetsu kicked through the door to open it up, revealing even more darkness and moldy air.

" I think I recognize this odor, it reminds me of the gardening club, back in middle school... But why would we find plants down here ? It doesn't make sense at all..."

As Tetsu whispered, his fingers played against the wall, until they finally found a switch and turned if on, to reveal a single room, but seemingly large enough to hide its borders from the students view. But what immediately caught their attention were several rows of tables garnished with pots filled with various plants and vegetables. Flickering lights were illuminating the plants, and pipes were delivering water into each pot, even though some completely dried up.

"It seems we have found a greenhouse, I understand why the air is so humid and moldy, a few things decayed here, thanks to the darkness and the water.", realized Tetsu as he was slowly walking towards one table, covered in mushrooms.

"You think the food we found each morning is coming from here ?", asked a confused Denki, following his friend between corns rows.

"Probably not, a good chunk of the food rotted and the water dryed away, so I guess this place is forgotten, much like the rest of the bunker."

"But why the military would leave perfectly edibld plants here ? It doesn't make sense ! It's almost like they ran and left everything behind them !"

"I guess it's better if we don't make assumptions firsthand, we'll tell Aizawa about it, now let's just keep looking around.", ended up Tetsutetsu, resuming their exploration.

The room itself, as expected, was only made of the greenhouse, with a concrete celling, every source of light in the room was artificial. The boys found more tables and pots, a few broken and lying on the ground, but also a few tools, including secateurs and rakes. Without telling his friend, Tetsu discreetly took one of them, and hid it in his pants, as a mean of self-defense, hoping to never feel obligated to use it.

"Well, we won't find anything else here. But still, an abandoned greenhouse, that's weird to come across...", muttered Denki as they were leaving the room, closing what remained of the door behind them.

"Yeah, it is. Like you said, it's as if the people living here ran away and forgot everything behind them. Guess we'll never know for sure, let's head back, it's been a good two hours since we've left."

With this floor now thoroughly explored, the last one for now, the stairs leading up were blocked by metallic railings, Denki and Tetsutetsu walked back to the refectory, chatting together on the way.

* * *

But in the same moment, in the refectory, an argument was breaking up between Izuku and Katsuki, to the horror of the helplesss students, unable to count on Aizawa to defuse the situation, as the teacher was busy dealing with Tenya.

"I'm really done with you stupid Deku ! Stop looking at me like that, you were the one who killed them !", spat a very angry and tired Katsuki, held back by Hanta and Mina.

"And you were the one who couldn't help Kirishima, you're the one who murdered him ! And you're absolutely not cooperating with us, I least I did something !", replied a desperate Izuku, alone in the middle of the room.

Hearing the name of his deceased best friend angered Bakugo, boiling with rage, and he violently pushed away his friends before propulsing himself to Izuku, face deformed by wrath, before punching hard in the chest then the head and launching him against a table, breaking under the impact.

"Stop, please stop this ! You're going to be hurt if you carry on, stop this !", pleaded Ochaco, but both boys ignored her, and Izuku came back with a powerful kick, sending Bakugo crushing right against the concrete wall.

At the same moment, Denki and Tetsutetsu finally entered the refectory, but immediately wished they haven't. Horrified, Denki ran to restrain Bakugo who stood up again, but was only launched back from where he came, bumping against Tetsu, and both fell on the ground as Bakugo and Izuku were battling in the middle of the room.

"What the hell is wrong with them ?! Why are they fighting ? Somebody is going to be hurt, we need to - ARGH, SHIT !", screamed out Denki when he was hit again with a flying Bakugo.

Tetsu managed to avoid another collision by throwing himself on the ground, but within a few seconds, Izuku was on top of him, pinning him hard against the stone, madness and voracious fury in his eyes.

"Well, looks like roles are reversed now ! I'm dominating you, and this time you're done ! I'm angry after Bakugo, but you'll suit perfectly !", he shouted, before putting both hands around Tetsu's neck, and he began to firmly squeeze, still shouting slanders and drooling. A true animal, he wasn't the same anymore.

" Izuku, stop this... You're going to kill him !", screamed in terror Tsuyu somewhere behind them, but her places were inaudible to Tetsu's, whose vision was starting to slowly fade away, into nothing but a thick veil or darkness.

Was it really going to end now ? Killed by a comrade in this rusty, dusty bunker, forgotten by everyone ? Lying helpless on the ground while being choked to death ? Seemed like so.

From his position, he could distinguish silhouettes, trying to pull Midoriya out of him with all of their mihjt, but to not avail, unable to move a single muscle out of him. Izuku was entirely focused on his fingers, slowly pushing away every breath Tetsutetsu was taking, slowly pushing away every ounce of life in his body.

An ironic way to die, wasn't it ? Choked to death, and even after activating his quirk, hardening his body into shining metal, Izuku only hardened his grip with his own quirk, easily countering his prey. He was truly helpless. He was missing air, but no one will miss him.

Tetsu tried to lift his hand in the meantime, tried to push away Izuku, but what can you even do when death itself is staring at you, with those crazy eyes ? You can only comply, and let go, let your mind wandering away, far from this soon cold body of yours, as cold as death itself.

Izuku only jubilated, glancing over the dying face of his victim. But only those eyes smiled, while this mind was screaming for help. Izuku knew deep inside what he was doing was wrong, but his feelings took over logic. Death is often the theater of feelings, rather than logic.

Tetsu groaned in pain, or was it a whisper ? When you're gasping for air, your silent pleas can be deformed. The blurry veil of darkness silently covered more and more centimeter of his vision, and the screams were now whispers at their turn. Tetsu tried to shove him away again.

But trying to fight death itself is a waste of time when you can't fight back after all.

But that wasn't Tetsutetsu's case. When his hand fell onto his legs, he felt a cold sensation against his thigh, tickling him. And he suddenly remembered the secateurs he pocketed sooner, in the greenhouse. They were his only chance to make it out of this situation alive.

Then, in an ultimate attempt to save his own life, with his ever lasting forces, Tetsutetsu rummaged through his pocket and grasped the blades, squeezing it staunchly into his hand, and quickly pulled them out to stab Izuku right under the chin, sinking them into his neck before swiftly pulling them off, spraying his face with blood.

Izuku's eyes opened widely, and he brought his hands to his throat, trying to mutter a word, but only a gurgling sound came out, and he fell on his back, entire body violently twitching, now gasping for air.

Tetsu slowly stood up, face soaked with the crimson liquid, shaking. He couldn't believe it. He has killed someone. Maybe in self-defense, but still, it was a bloody murder.

As Izuku eventually ceased to move, loosing his blood all over the stone, Ochaco screamed in horror. And the students came to their senses, realizing what had just happened in the span of a few seconds, why the now dead lifeless body of Midoriya was lying on the ground, mouth screaming a silent thanks.

"What the hell ? He's dead, what the heck ! He tried to choke Tetsutetsu !"

"Gosh, what did things ended like this..."

"What the... Deku, gosh no, freaking Deku ! What the fuck ! What happened, gosh what ?!", shouted the loud voice of Bakugo, now standing up and less angry, before running to his side and taking his hand, as if to verify he really passed away.

Tetsu was shaking, still holding the weapon, murderous secateurs wetting the floor. As more and more students gathered around the body, Denki turned up to him, distraught eyes locking themselves into Tetsu's ones, and he sighed.

"You killed him... But you did in self-defense, everyone saw that. If you didn't do anything, he was going to murder you instead, and we even try to pull him away from you, but he was too strong !", he woefully lamented.

"I know, but I killed someone. It's not something that I can overcome easily you know ! He was alive moments ago...", Tetsu complained, still looking over the corpse.

Few words were spoken, but everyone thought the same. Izuku's death was a tragedy, as all the previous ones were, but he wasn't the same anymore, he went completely nuts and forfeited his life the very moment he tried to murder Tetsu. But still, he was to be mourned, as all should be, and the overall mood was now terrible, as expected once again.

Bakugo eventually left the body and moved towards Tetsu, now quietly sitting against the wall and attempting to wash the blood away of his face, before crouching down to look at him. He was visibly dejected, but his eyes were filled with compassion. A rather strange contrast to witness.

"Look steely hair, I know you did what you had to do. I'm not angry at you, I'm not gonna berate you for your action. He was... Really different from usual, I guess his mind completely broke off.", he gently stated, before standing up again and walking away.

Tetsu was a bit puzzled by the statement Bakugo has just made, but understood he tried to reassure him, in his own way. Still it was irrefutable he did ended Izuku's life, and he was the only one to blame.

* * *

After another hour or so, Aizawa eventually came back into the refectory with a relaxed Tenya, but quickly realized the mess that took place while he was away. But he nonetheless tried to keep a composed facade and asked the students to assemble together, in front of the screen, after a brief report of the fight that took place.

"Well, it's really unfortunate that Izuku died, but we can't let his death affect us too much, or the mastermind will take the advantage by far, exploiting our feelings and emotions into his little scheme. But I assure you, his demise saddens me as much as most of you.", he started to explain, watching over the placid crowd.

"During this time, I tried to come up with a solution about Tenya's ordeal, and I managed to find one. A crime can be just as simple as stealing something, I think we can all agree this far. So, he'd just have to steal something from one of you until the end of the day, and everything will stay on tracks."

Standing next to him, Tenya stayed silent the whole explanation, and only nodded when Aizawa was finally over. He knew what he had to do, and now only had to pick someone to steal from, and of course return the object tomorrow.

Then, Aizawa dissolved the assembly and the students went back to their occupations, or at least they tried. Izuku's still warm cadaver was left in the middle of the refectory, as no one dared to move it around, not really eager to desecrate a man's dead body.

While everyone was busy in the main room, and a few in theirs cells, Tenya silently sneaked out of the refectory, and made his way towards the closest cell in the left corridor, which appeared to be the one of Momo.

"Oh, it's Momo's one. Forgive me for what I'm going to do...", he muttered to himself before slowly reaching into the closed case on top of the desk, containing her hero outfit.

After a few minutes of rummaging through the clothes, Tenya opted for one of her bright red boots, and hid it in his own room under the sheets, farther in the hallway. Stealing, especially from a girl and a friend was disgusting him to a certain degree, but he had to if he wished to stay alive.

Finally, after his forced misdeed accomplished, Tenya headed back to the main room, where a satisfied Aizawa was waiting for him near the entrance.

"Well, now you'll be saved, no one saw you right?", he inquired even though he knew the answer.

"Nobody, I've hidden the object under my sheets and I'll give it back to its legitimate owner tomorrow.", responded Tenya with a small courteous bow, before walking away.

Aizawa looked at him, then to the clock hanging on the wall, currently displaying 1:00 PM. Only a few more hours, and Tenya will be saved from the masterminds explosives claws, and the day would end with only a single death this time. And his sanity wouldn't receive another hard hit.

The clock was now exhibiting 9:00 PM, and everyone has finished their dishes for today's dinner, consisting of sticky Mac and cheese and overcooked fish, the quality of the food itself was starting to decrease, yet no one noticed it for now.

Tenya, sitting between Ochaco and Tokoyami, was nervously tapping his metal collar, only wishing for the mastermind to confirm today's order was completed. Witnessing her friend's tension, Ochaco pulled on his sleeve and joyfully smiled.

"Relax Tenya, you're safe now ! You stole something from one of us, you committed your first crime, congratulations !", she innocently joked with a small laugh, which seemed to ease a bit Lida.

"Yes Uraraka-san, I hope so ! But you know, committing a crime is something that etched itself deep into my soul. I hated to act against my morals, the abductor does know where to aim in order to hit us hard."

"Sure he knows, but what he doesn't know is that we're still a group, friends ! And friends take care of each other Tenya !"

After hearing such simple yet friendly support, Tenya couldn't stop a few tears to flood his eyes, and he hugged Ochaco, tightly, resting his head on her shoulder, feeling her warmth spreading into his muscles, relaxing them. A bit surprised by the sudden gesture of affection, Ochaco chuckled and hugged him back, as the clock's hand moved past 9:00 PM and a few students congratulated Tenya for staying alive another day.

But an happy ending wouldn't be fun, and shall not be expected in this deadly bunker.

And the clock rang to announce the new hour's beginning. 9 bells, spaced out by a few seconds each.

And no one noticed the silent, almost inaudible song that started to play in the room.

1st bell, Tenya pulled away from Ochaco and raised a prideful fist in victory.

_The corpse was taken away..._

2nd bell, Ochaco smiled and cheered up.

_... a silly smile still on his face..._

3rd bell, Tenya watched over his comrades, now all or almost applauding him.

_...but his loved ones weren't applauding him..._

4th bell, he looked down to his plate.

_...his dad looked down to the grave..._

5th bell, he grabbed his fork. Cheerings erupted around him.

_...he grabbed his bag. The speech began..._

6th bell, he took a few pastas, smiling and thankful to Aizawa.

_...the cortege took a few steps, mourning him..._

7th bell, he brought the food to his mouth.

_...he brought the flowers to the coffin..._

8th bell, his mouth opened, to allow the viscous pasta to enter.

_... the gates of heaven opened, to allow the lonely soul to enter..._

9th bell...

_But only hell awaits thieves._

His mouth closed up. And his head blew off. The fork ended up falling on top of what remained of his neck, and the headless body fell at hsi turn against the table, bumping right into the plate, now giving the pastas a horrendous red color. Hellish color.

And it wasn't tomato sauce.

* * *

_Day 5_

_Deaths : 7_

_Alive : 19_


	7. Day 6

The sixth day began in the bunker and its depths, or was it the seventh ? This trivial question was of no matters to Bakugo, lying in his mattress and sheets covered wirth gaping holes. They were like this from the beginning, but the moths also feasted on them during the later days. But Bakugo didn't care about the sheets neither, not his sleep. Instead, his head was filled with the bloody pictures and events that took place yesterday. Everytime he closed his eyes, the only things he could seen were Tetsutetsu cutting Izuku's throat in a gory way, and the headless body of Tenya falling against the table, when they all thought he was saved.

But moreover, Eijiro was on his mind. The latest deaths clearly reminded him of how useless he was. He couldn't stop Kirishima's head blowing off, nor Deku's madness, shortly followed by their fight. He was a complete mess, unable to do something. Only able to watch and complain, not act in any ways. Katsuki was completely powerless against their abductor, and he curled upq in his bed, squeezing his grip against the sheets. A few tears formed, and slowly rolled down on his cheeks.

"Why can't I do a damn thing ? I couldn't even help Eijiro...", he silently cried out. He tried to speak, but only a hoarse wheeze came out of his mouth and vanished into the darkness.

"Seriously, why ? I can't help, I can't fight and I might be dead at anytime. I fucking hate being trapped, gosh, so useless...", he carried on. The tears were now soaking the coarse pillo, and Bakugo sank his head into it, his sobs muted by the cushion.

"And I saw freaking Deku die... In front of me. And the last thing I ever said to him was how his murders were awful, we fought ... Gosh, I never really hated him, but he's gone now. I'm fed up with these deaths..."

Katsuki only wept for hours. He didn't shown his feelings to anyone and always kept a confident attitude and a composed facade. But now, everything was back to before, and Bakugo felt like the day he clearly cried in front of Midoriya in the town scenery, months ago. Again, he felt useless, he felt nothing.

And this time, Deku wasn't here to somehow reassure him.

"Fuck, why did this happened to us... Just why, we haven't done anything, seriously...", he pondered, now scrutinizing the wall, both eyes still flooded under thicks layers of tears.

He didn't have any answer to bring to this question. Their entire fate, trapped down here, murdering each other, all of this while being observed by a maniac, who clearly seemed to enjoy witnessing students passing away in dreadful conditions, seemed like a bad movie coming from some random company.

But all of this was real. The smell of blood was far too vivid in Bakugo's mind to convince him otherwise, even if he would've preferred this whole situation to be scripted. Written lines of dialogues, actors performing a lethal play with a single spectator, masterizing the spectacle as a puppeteer.

"Yeah, a puppeteer. You can't say we have free will after all, we're his damn toys...", he thought, sighing a bit. Now slightly calmed down, he turned away from the wall, and closed his eyelids. Despite all of this, he was still human, he needed some hours of sleep, no matters the situation.

With these thoughts in mind, Katsuki's mind slowly wandered off, walking away from his body for the rest of the night.

But soon enough, Bakugo quickly opened his eyes. He couldn't breathe at all, his trachea felt sealed in this throat. Now panicked, he didn't heard the loud bangs against his door, reasoning in the entire cell, sometimes against the walls. But somewhere in his blurry vision, he distinguished the flickering TV being on, illuminating the room with it's pale light.

He knew the mastermind was speaking, but he was way too panicked to grasp a single piece of information. Instead, he fell on his knees, knocking over the chair, and rubbed his chest with both hands, trying to throw up, anything. But his throat...

He punched his throat, and someone punched in the door, pushing with all of their mind against it. But only Katsuki's back was currently facing the panel, while he was desperately trying to cough, to dislodge the thing stucked inside his trachea. After several unsuccessful attempts, Bakugo's vision was becoming more and more blurry each minute, each second passing by.

The seconds felt like hours. Lingering hours, while Katsuki was still attempting to breathe. His entire body was now feeling heavy, and his grasp against his chest gradually weakened.

"No, I refuse to die now... Fuck, not like this, you can't do that to me...!", he screamed in his mind. With his vision field fading away, Katsuki suddenly had the idea to lighten up the room with his quirk, one or two explosions should do the trick. With what little forces remained in his arm, he raised it, and started to canalize his sweat towards his palms to form a first detonation.

But at the same moment, the door bursted open, so loudly Bakugo finally heard something else than his heartbeat, and he felt two solid grips under his arms, hastily pulling him towards the exit. He tried to yell, but only another wheeze came out of his mouth, unable to even form words without air.

But once Katsuki was in the hallway, the door was instantly closed by several arms, violently pushed against the wall, and Bakugo felt he could breathe anew, fresh streams of air filling his lungs after a few painful coughs.

"The door is closed, it's alright now, the gaz won't follow us in the corridor.", said Shoji, finally letting go of the door, while Tsuyu shaked Bakugo like an old rag doll, her big rounded eyes worriedly glancing upon him, still coughing.

"What the fuck was that, I almost thought I was going to die ! I couldn't breathe at all !", eventually yelled Bakugo in his habitual fashion, standing up against the wall, facing the ground and rubbing his throat.

"Mezo awake before anybody else, in order to help Riko with the breakfast, but as he was leaving his room he smelt this odor, and it was gas ! The one that can asphyxiate you !", replied stressfully Tsuyu, glaring at Bakugo.

"Yes, so I immediately warned my room neighbor, Tsuyu, and ran to help the others, Rikido is probably helping the ones in his hallway.", Mezo calmly added, but his mask visibly folding and unfolding itself under his irregular breathe.

Then, Katsuki immediately understood it was for the best he didn't have the time to activate his quirk and cause an entire explosion fuelled by the gas, which would have certainly put an end to his existence. He begrudgingly looked up to his two saviors, and whispered a silent thanks. He was grateful of course, but still too focused on his own breath cycle at the moment.

Mezo also informed Katsuki he was the last one on this aisle, as his room was at the far end of the corridor, and that everyone else was already gathered in the main room. No one knew why they were awoken in such a disagreeable way, but Bakugo knew in the back of his mind the mastermind toyed with them, once more.

Hence, the trio quickly made their way to the refectory, walking past closed doors. No one dared to verify is the gas was still present or not lingering in the corners of the cell, and they stepped into the big decrepit room, where as expected, many students were sitting down, at the tables or the ground, some were crying. At their exact opposite, Rikido emerged from the corridor, holding an inert Ochaco in his arms.

"Of my god, thanks whatever you're still alive Katsuki...!", exclaimed a relieved voice somewhere in their right, Mina walking towards them, quickly followed by Denki, until she stopped and opened widely her eyes, now terrified.

"Wait, Hanta isn't with you ? Where is he, you've seen him, right ?", Mina asked, suddenly grabbing Shoji by the arms.

"No, he dwells across us, in the East corridor. Why the question ? Sato hasn't recovered him yet ?"

"Oh my God, don't tell me... Excuse me, I'll be back...", only whispered Mina, watery eyes and her voice going weak, before running away.

Confused, Shoji, Tsuyu and Denki looked at each other, not really understanding the sudde' change of Mina's behavior, but Bakugo quickly comprehended the situation, and he shoved his comrades away before fying across the entire room, landing in front of the hallway's doors he strongly kicked, disappearing into the long corridor, ignoring the calls.

"I can't lose a friend twice, for fuck's sake ! I'm not that useless, I'm not ! I'm freaking Bakugo Katsuki !" he almost howled as he was passing several doors, reading the names nailed onto them.

At some point, he noticed an open door with the lights on, with Sero's name printed onto its blackened surface, and he slowed down his pace, relieved to see Hanta had the time to escape, and he had probably just missed him the the refectory, in the middle of this crazy and noisy atmosphere. Smiling a bit, Bakugo opened the door even more and walked inside.

"Ahoy Sero, you scared the shit out.. Of me...?"

In front of him, Rikido was kneeling down in front of a motionless body, trying to resuscitate it, pressing on his chest. The body's fingers were folding in its hands, stiffened by death's cold grip, and several sheets of adhesive tape were gushing out of its elbows, covering some hole in the wall next to them.

Upon hearing Bakugo going silent, shocked to figure out the scene in front of him, Rikido turned to face him with a dejected face and only said those terrible words, the ones Bakugo wished to never hear again.

"It was... Too late..."

Hanta Sero was deceased.

* * *

In the refectory, Tetsutetsu was minding his own business, still trying to cope with the life he had taken yesterday. But every single detail was bright in his mind, he watched the same scene unfolding itself each time. The crazy, entirely animalistic eyes of Izuku were piercing his soul, staring into his heart. It was one of these visions one couldn't simply forget.

"Tetsu, stop sitting on the ground rambling inside your thoughts, share them !", called out a voice in front of him, and Tetsutetsu sighed then looked up, to see Denki craning himself towards him, pouting his mouth.

"Denki, shouldn't you be trying to comfort Mina ? We have just learned that Sero has died in his room, along with Toru..."

"I know, but I figured out the girls would take care of her more than I could...", he whined, looking over his shoulder to the corner of the room, where Tsuyu and her friends were trying to cheer Ashido, curled up against the wall.

"Yeah, she seemed to really like him, you're lucky to have a little group with you Denki, friends you can count on."

"But you're my friend too, I want to help you ! Maybe I can't with Mina, but let me try with you, please ! I know I'm stupid but still !", he eagerly proclaimed, before sitting down next to a puzzled Tetsutetsu.

"I'm fine, really ! It's just that I can't erase Izuku's look from my mind, and the fact that I've killed him. He wasn't even human anymore, almost drooling ! I guess being confined and locked up here broke his spirit and he went nuts."

"Probably... But you just defended yourself, as I said before ! If you haven't pulled out the secateurs, it would've been you, lying dead on the ground !"

"But taking a life... That's something that marks your entire spirit Denki ! I'm not the same as before, I ended someone's existence, hopes and dreams... It's not especially easy to accept, you got it ?", Tetsu woefully exhaled, shaking his head.

"I guess so, I've never taken someone's life but you shouldn't let that affect your mind more than that, try to focus on your own survival ! Well, I guess the roach I've killed yesterday doesn't count.", shrugged Denki.

This comparison, as absurd it was, made Tetsu chuckled a bit, and Denki smiled in triumph, crossing his arms in proudness. But the joke pulled apart, Tetsu agreed that Denki was right about focusing more on his own survival than Izuku's death. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to help him at all, and instead will only bring his mood down. He needed to concentrate on the future. Not a bright future, but still.

Surprised to see discussing a bit with Denki actually helped him, Tetsu thanked his friend with a ankward handshake, or manly handshake as he likes to call them, and he stood up, watching over the entire room and the students inside, stopping his gaze on the giant TV hanging on the wall. This sight rang a bell in his mind.

"Now that I think about it, the abductor hasn't made his announcement yet, that's weird... I guess he'll do it at 8 AM precisely, it's only 7:30 AM right now.", he realized, a bit surprised, but he quickly brushed it off, and decided to go back to his room to spend the remaining half-hour alone, away from the noisy refectory.

" Either Denki didn't cared about Hanta's death, or he hid his grief by acting like an idiot. I guess it's the latter, but still... Personally I can't really feel sad, it's not like I knew him as a friend...", he said to himself, noting the carefree attitude of his friend as he entered the hallway, suddenly bumping into someone head first.

The shock was violent enough to send Tetsu right onto the ground, landing on his butt, as did the other person, hitting the pavement as well in a loud thump.

"Hey, watch out where you going Eijiro, I was about to... Eijiro ?!", he shouted in utter astoundishment, staring right in front in him, he couldn't believe his eyes, were they pulling a trick on him?

Eijiro, as for him, was rubbing his forehead, still stunned by the shock, his hazy eyes looking all around the place, until he came to his senses and noticed the amazed face Tetsu was making.

"What ? What are you doing here Tetsutesu my man ? Where are we ? I don't understand anything !", Kirishima said as he stood up, brushing his clothes as the others students arrived, alerted by the commotion and Eijiro's name.

"I can't believe it, you're alive... But that doesn't make any sense, I saw your head being reduced to a pile of meat !", only replied a dazzled Tetsu, leaning closer to Kirishima, as if to confirm it was indeed his friend.

"Kirishima's here? What the hell ? Wasn't he dead ?"

"I can't believe it, Kirishima's alive !"

"Dude, where the hell were you ? We all thought you were dead !"

"Someone go get Aizawa !"

As the exclamations fused around a bewildered Kirishima, Bakugo emerged from the barrier of students around Eijiro, and he stood right in front of him, arms crossed on his chest. His cheeks were again striated by tears, but thus time those were tears of joy.

"Bakugo, you're here too ? Everyone is here ?", reiterated Kirishima with a small confused grin, staring at each student then the ash blonded teen.

"Kirishima, I don't understand a thing, or why the hell you're still alive even though I clearly saw you die. But don't do this to me again, please.", he only whispered, before opening his arms to hug Eijiro tightly, much to his surprise, crying against his shoulder'

"Hey, you're cuddly for once... I still don't understand anything, but I'm glad you're here Bakugo.", Eijiro answered amused, tapping his friend's back, as Aizawa finally arrived at his turn, with the same stunned expression on his face.

Bakugo eventually let go of their embrace, and Aizawa explained to a visibly unwary Kirishima the whole series of events they had to live since 6 days now, the death, the game, the bunker. Every single detail unfolded. Following, the explanations, Kirishima was still hesitant at first, as it was a lot of informations, but finally accepted his situation.

But the remaining question was how did he survived the whole ordeal of being decapitated. A question a certain flickering, buzzing screen answered, powering itself as soon as Kirishima understood.

"Well, well, hello my little sheeps ! Seems like my little surprise is pleasing you pretty much, and I guess you have a lot of questions. I don't care about them, but it's always cool to see your reactions ! To put it short, the one that died in the gymnasium was a fake one !", eagerly stated the abductor by his screen, visiblly amused.

"And how does that even possible ? He woke up with us, how could he be a mere illusion ?", raised the inquisitive voice of Ibara.

"I kidnapped all of you, do you really think transforming the looks and alter the memory of someone would be that difficult ? Surgery and quirks can sure do an efficient job ! I don't even know who the hell the first guy was !", laughed the sinister voice, not giving a care about the horrified faces of the students.

" Now now, enough talk, we still have an order today ! And the gas was just me having some fun, forgive me my preys !", he concluded before dying out, and the screen rearranged itself as usual. Red curvy letters in a black screen.

Under the silent choir looking over their deadly god, the screen finally showed an order.

**"Student Denki Kaminari must use his quirk to become idiot at least once every 15 minutes, if he fails, he will terminated !"**

As expected, Denki gasped and walked back from the screen, scared by the order itself, his eyes hastily quaking inside his eyes sockets. He looked at his hands, nervously squeezing his jacket, as he whispered, then screamed in horror.

_"If I use my quirk too much, I become stupid, right. But too much and I'll die...! It's a death penalty !_


	8. Day 6 bis

Stunned. It was the appropriate word to describe the students and moreover Denki, still shaking after yelling. The atmosphere was heavy, unbearable for their fragile minds already damaged after an almost entire week down there. Still looking over the hanging screen, Denki couldn't calm down, and he lamented in a raspy voice.

"I can't, I just can't do that...! It's a death penalty, I'm going to die either way, my brain won't resist ! And I don't wanna die, not now..."

Besides him, the newly awoken Kirishima looked to the ground, feeling completely useless about helping his friend. He couldn't do anything, and time was already passing on. In order to say alive, Denki was required to use his quirk each 15 minutes until short circuiting his brain and becoming stupid. And as of now, only a few minutes were left for the first try.

"Everyone, vacate the hall, we'll do the things here, and I'll take care of this. I can't let someone else dying right now, I've already failed as a teacher, I won't as an adult.", suddenly ordered Aizawa with big gestures when he noticed the remaining time, his face firmly closed.

The students didn't lingered for another second and return to their cells or others parts of the bunker, it didn't really mattered a the time, what mattered was to leave enough space to Denki so he could use his quirk without hurting anybody. But Kirishima and Tetsu stayed behind, staring at the pupils dissappearing into the hallways.

"Why are you still here ? I told you to vacate, return to your room or someplace else. It's dangerous to stay here.", sighed Aizawa annoyingly upon noticing the two remaining boys.

"Yes you did, but... You said you wouldn't let Denki die, but it's the same for us ! We want to do something, anything to help him, he's our friend after all !", retorted Kirishima, seemingly desperate.

"And running away without trying anything would be being a coward, real men don't look away from danger or refuse to help a friend ! And we don't want to be known as the cowards who couldn't do anything to support our friend !", added Tetsu on the same almost begging tone.

As usual, Aizawa sighed and took a quick glance over Denki, sitting against the wall behind him, staring at the emptiness in front of him with blank eyes. He had already lost any sort of hope, crushed under the fear of death like it was nothing. And deep inside, Aizawa knew the help of the boys, whatever it would be, could be very useful.

"Fine, what did you have in mind ? I guess you thought about a plan, right ? If not, hurry, we only have a handful of minutes left before the first deadline."

"Actually, we did, I think ? With our quirks, we can absorb the majority of his electricity. This way, he can become stupid more quickly, since he'll be focused on us, and not randomly ejecting his bolts into the air. So he'll use his quirk faster !"

"Yeah, and since the atmosphere won't be loaded with lingering electricity, he'll recover more quickly !"

As the duo clenched their fists in determination, their voices full of conviction, Aizawa quickly pondered their plan. Sure, if Denki focused his quirk on a single target instead of multiples random ones, he'll reach the stupidity point more quickly, and by extension will recover faster. This plan was risky, but this plan was their only and best option at the moment. And Aizawa sure didn't wanted another helpless dead on his consciousness.

"Fine. Denki, stand up, we'll begin the first try.", he finally ordered, as the two boys walked towards the center of the room, ready to activate their quirks and harden themselves.

Hearing his teacher taking actions after the explanations, Denki hesitantly stood up, his vision still a bit blurry. Maybe like his future, right ? The plan wasn't an absolute certainty, and might fail at any moment, the plan was still blurry. But he would gladly grab the slightest chance available for him to stay alive.

So Denki rejoined Kirishima and Eijiro, silently standing and fists lifted, and he took a deep breath. The rushing flow of air slowly entered his lungs, refreshing every cell covering them and his mind, and he breathes out, blowing away the hotness and the hesitations wrapping his determination. And he raised two fingers pistols, targeting at the boys chests.

And he let go a powerful strike of bright and spinning yellow electricity from each finger, while Tetsu became shiny metal and Kirishima a hard rock, absorbing the incoming shock in their chests. But even hardened, they felt the buzzing power running in their entire body, tickling their extremities, while it'd have been way more hurtful in their normal bodies. Denki intensified, and the beam grew bigger.

But they clenched their teeth, and didn't said a word, locking their gazes right into Denki's eyes. Gazes filled with acceptance and pride, pride to help their friend survive, at least a few more days. And as expected, after around 30 seconds of a intense focus, Denki suddenly stopped and changed his fingers pistols into thumbs up, while whining incomprehensible words and slowly walking into the wall next to him.

Aizawa sighed in relief, the plan was a success. Now, Denki will have more time to recover his mind and will do it more swiftly, hence more time to carry on the following short circuit. Denki might have a chance to live past this day, but this one day will be long.

"Mister Aizawa, when the abductor said every 15 minutes until the end of the day, did he meant it every 15 minutes after the initial short circuit, or once every 15 minutes in a hour ? If it's the latter, it's 4 times in a hour, right ?", raised an inquisitive Kirishima as he turned back to normal.

" Now that you mention it, he never precised the time span. I guess it's 4 times in a hour, but I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end.", Aizawa replied.

"I've thought about it too actually, we can take an advantage in this situation by only forcing Denki to short circuit 4 times in a hour, instead of random times. But what if he's tired in the end ? The quirk must be draining his forces...", inquired worriedly Tetsu, glancing over the dumb blond-haired bumping into the wall.

"Well, if he can't trigger his quirk anymore, we'll need to trigger it by ourselves. Maybe with the outlets ? There's one in the corner right there. If we electrocute him enough time for his brain to go stupid again, it can be a a great roundabout way."

The trio continue to debate over the course of actions to undertake in order to keep Denki alive for a few minutes, while Denki eventuality came to his senses again, still jolting against the wall.

Denki felt rather... Weird after this experience. It was the first time he voluntarily short circuit his brain, and the sensation was rather disturbing. But he was still alive, even if he'll have to keep doing these until 8 PM, the set time for nighttime, and he was grateful enough for Eijiro and Tetsutesu's help, along with his teacher who managed to calm the situation.

"Hey guys, it worked, right ? I'm normal after a few minutes, while usually it takes longer than that ! But I must do it again in 15 minutes, right ? That's what he said...", he said, now turning away from the wall.

"Well, he never precised to cut the hours in 15 minutes, or every 15 minutes after the initial experiment. So we decided to schedule it 4 times a hour, it should work out this way !", eagerly answered Kirishima, confident in his idea.

"But if it's not the case, I'll die...! The abductor won't hesitate to blow my head off ! Remember how he killed Tenya even if he had stolen something !"

"He killed him because Tenya intended to return the object, while stealing you're supposed to keep it, no matter what. It's a risky gamble, but we should trust the abductor this time.", reluctantly said Aizawa.

Of course, he wasn't fond of the idea of putting Denki's demise into the kidnapper's hands, but deep inside, Aizawa knew he only wanted to watch them suffer.

Denki nodded, still unsure about this idea. But for now, he needed to focus on the experiments. At the very least, he wasn't alone, but the day to come was going to be a long day. A tiring, draining day.

* * *

To distract themselves a bit from the whole situation, Momo had the idea to invite some of her friends to follow her to the pool, located in the uppers floors of the bunker. Of course it wasn't a very exciting trip, but it was enough to carry their minds away for a while.

After grabbing some swimsuits in the locker room they found the days earlier, the little group walked into the pool area itself. For a run-down place, the pool was surprisingly well maintained, the water was still clear, refreshing and free of seeweed, protected by a Plexiglas dome. Even the paved ground was for the most part clean, beside some dust here and there.

"It's kinda weird, doesn't it ? Everything is so clean, even the cells were, for the most part. I still don't get why, though...", remarked Kyoka, glaring at the water while Tokoyami and Mezo were pulling the dome away.

"It is, indeed ! I cannot really fathom why this entire compound is clear from any sort of dust, while it is supposed to be abandoned.", approved Momo, hands joined besides Kyoka.

"It's almost like nobody used it, but why building a place so huge in the first place ? It doesn't make any friggin sense, right ?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Now now, how about we just relax for now ? I'm sure the boys are talking good care of Denki. You are worried about him, correct ?", said Momo as she walked into the pool, gently pushing Kyoka in front of her.

"Yeah, I am... We've already lose Hanta, I don't want to lose Denki too, he's a funny and friendly guy, who only ever minded his own business. He doesn't deserve this, no one does...", she replied with a sad tone bursting in her voice.

Momo silently nodded, feeling quite morose for her friend. Kyoka was indeed right, nobody deserved to die or be forced into these horrendous orders, but if the world was just, it would have been common knowledge since long ago. But something else clicked in her mind.

The pool area was neat for the most part, but so was the classroom they explored, days before, the classroom almost untouched, with a few childish drawings on the tables. Now that the pieces were coming together, Yaoyorozu concluded the bunker probably never saw its inhabitants, or for only a very short period of time. But the reason why these people have ran away yet to be determined. Were they killed by the abductor ?

A sudden splash of water, hosing her entire face in a surprised scream, took her back to the reality realm, and she was faced with a merry Kyoka, laughing with wide-open throat. Momo joyfully smiled and splashed her back in revenge, but missed her while she dived away. At least, these rare moments of happiness allowed them to not become completely crazy, they were still a hope to cling into.

A tiny, microscopic hope, bit hope still. And during these moments, their minds wandered away from the grief, sadness and pain they endured since almost a week now. Ironically, they were growing closer. Until their death by the hands of the implacable bunker reaper. Death doesn't and will never care about relationships, death only exists to stomp on hopes, to reduce them into tiny pieces.

Ironically, they were growing closer. Ironically, they were wounding each other.

* * *

While Momo and her friends were swimming above their heads, Denki's brain short circuited again. Softening himself after several experiments in a row, Tetsu glanced over the clock, hanging against the kitchen's wall, indicating around 2 PM. They have been doing this for the past 6 hours, including lunch. It was quite a funny sight to see Kirishima hardening himself still holding his sandwich, under the astounded gaze of their comrades, sitting at the tables.

"We still need to do it for another 6 hours, we're halfway through !", he announced to the others.

But Tetsutesu was starting to feel tired, even with the rests between each short circuit, it wasn't like he needed to stand still for 12 hours straight. But hardening his body several times in a row was exhausting, and the shocks were more and more painful every time. Kirishima was feeling the exact same.

"Hmpf... I really need to rest right now...", he whispered while sitting on the ground, quietly breathing in and out.

"But we can't dude, we still need to help Denki, right ? We can't afford to rest right now ! It's not very manly to resign, you...", started Kirishima, only to be cut by the grey haired.

"Quit yapping Eijiro, I know it's not manly, but this is really exhausting, and you're tired too, don't give me this bullshit..."

Eijiro sighed, Tetsu was right after all, maybe he needed to calm down in the manly spirit. It was clear his bright and determined spirit was a clear contrast with the general mood of the rest of the bunker's inhabitants. But Bakugo didn't seemed to mind it, he was even happy to see him again ?

Sure, they were great friends, but Katsuki seemed to be way too blissful when he noticed him, way too blissful for a simple friendship, even more when Kirishima knew Bakugo was far from being a demonstrative and affectionate individual. Did Katsuki knew something he wasn't aware of ? He'll probably ask him later about that, after this whole tiring day.

"Alright, Denki's normal again, we'll do the next one in 8 minutes.", proclaimed the deep voice of Aizawa.

8 minutes. Well, Bakugo's cell was at the very end of the east hallway, but it was more than enough time to reach it. Eijiro couldn't wait until the end of the day, he needed to know this instant. So he walked away from Tetsu, and cheerfully said to Aizawa :

"I need to go the toilets, I'll be back in 8 minutes, I promise, it won't take long !"

Without even waiting for the teacher's answer, Kirishima almost launched himself into the hallway, and when he was out of sight, didn't hesitated to make a run for it. Each and every possibility was crossing his mind about what Katsuki could possibly know, but he wasn't sure of any.

He arrived in front of Bakugo's bedroom very quickly, and stopped in his tracks, staring at the wooden door nailed with a metal slab, carved with Bakugo's patronym. Was he making the right choice by asking him right now, instead of staying next to Denki ? Maybe it wasn't the wisest choice, but it was the most urging one. So he knocked 3 times and he waited.

But he was only answered by the silence of the darkened corridor. Bakugo's wasn't in his room, probably in one of the common parts, but Kirishima didn't had the time to check them out, only 6 minutes were left, judging by the clock against the wall.

But since he had gone this far, and actually needed to use the toilets, Eijiro decided to use Bakugo's ones, it would only take a moment and he'll understand for sure. So he gently opened the door and peeked inside, still cursing himself to violate his friend's personal space.

The cell looked like almost every other one : a mattress, a desk and its chair, and a dilapidated wardrobe. On the desk, the wallet containing his hero outfit, next to it was the bathroom door. The room was quite neat and organized too.

"Okay, I'll only take a few seconds, let me..."

* * *

Still sitting on the pavement, Tetsu sighed, a bit irked by Kirishima's lateness, exactly like Aizawa. They couldn't start the next experiment without him, and he was sure taking long in the toilets.

"Should I go look for him ? We only have 2 minutes until the next try, and he's kinda long.", asked Tetsu to the teacher, but at the same time Kirishima finally appeared, pushing the hallways's doors away, but with a strange look on his face.

"You took your sweet time didn't you eh ? You said you'll be back here quickly.", he immediately pointed out.

"Sorry, it was a big dump eh...", he hastily said, rubbing his cheeks in embarrassment.

"Well, it's not a big deal, no need to be flustered about it... Now, let's get back to business.", concluded Tetsu, before everyone was going to their positions again.

"He's so flustered about his time taken in the bathroom, can't really understand why, guess he has his reasons... He blushed too, right?", thought a perplex Tetsu while Denki delivered a new strike against them - at least this thoughts were keeping his mind away from the pain - "Well, it's okay anyways, he's back and I'm not gonna blame it for being a slow-shitter."

And eventually, 8 PM was reached. Every student gathered in the main room to see the results, and they met up with a sleeping Denki eyes closed, resting his head against one of the tables. Aizawa, sitting next to him, wasn't any better, yawning pretty much every second.

"So.. Did you managed to keep up the pace ? Is he going to be okay now ?", asked anxiously Kyoka, fidgeting her fingers together.

"Yes, I think we did it... But it was exhausting, even for me, I replaced the boys at one moment, they were very, very tired...", he replied with a yawn, pointing with his thumbs Tetsutetsu and Kirishima, who waved without saying a word.

"So he's going to be alright... Thanks God you saved him, thank you so much ! You really are a great teacher mister Aizawa !"

"Yeah, yeah... Now the abductor should speak up at any time I guess..."

And as soon as he said, the giant screen they started to know so well powered on, and buzzes again, illuminating the room in an agreeable and sweet white light. Almost sleep-inducing, how ironic. And the loudspeakers spoke up, in a rather annoyed tone.

"Well, well little sheeps. Seems like this idiot managed to cook his brain for the entire day without dying. Cool for you bro, here's your points. Now, tomorrow's order won't be as simple as today, be warned little lambs ! And someone better die this time, or else I might be very angry. Peace off and piss off, fellas."

And the scream shut down by itself in a silent little noise, while everyone sighed in relief. A bit more pumped up by their complete success, Aizawa grabbed Denki's points and turned back to the students.

"Well, you heard him, we managed to get through this day by accomplishing the orders. But I know some of you are sads because we've lost Toru and Hanta. We can't win everytime, so let's savor this victory in their memory, we'll pay tribute to them this way. Now, do what you want, personally, I'll be going to bed. Goodnights."

And Aizawa dissappeared into the hallway after everyone wished him goodnight, leaving Denki's points right next to him, peacefully sleeping, oblivious to the victory against the mastermind they've just won.

"Well, we can't let him sleep here, so I'll take care of this. Goodnight bro, see you later ! ", suddenly said Tetsu as he stood up from his chair, while Kirishima vaguely plainted, almost inaudible, perfectly fine with this idea.

Tetsu then pocketed the points and grabbed Denki, lifting him from his chair and carefully carrying him in both arms, until his room. Unlike what he'd have thought, Denki wasn't heavy at all. Still asleep, he rubbed his face against Tetsu's arms, searching for a warmth and reassuring sensation.

"Shit, what is he doigt right now... It's kinda cute... What the hell am I thinking ? I'm tired too after all, guess he's having nightmares...", Tetsu thought while he finally tucked him into bed, still dead asleep.

After he made sure Denki was in good position, Tetsu stood up again and walked back to the door, turning the lights off. He delivered a final appeased glare to the lying silhouette, and closed the door.

_Dead asleep was far better than dead itself._

_Day 6_

_Alive : 18_

_Dead : 8_


	9. Day 7

It must have been at least a few hours, until Denki woke up form his sleep panicked, heart racing in his chest at a high speed, almost unreal. He had just experienced another nightmare, terrifying enough to wake him up in the middle of night. Still startled, he grabbed his neck, feeling the stiff and cold metal under his fingertips. The collar was intact. He let out a long sigh in relief.

"Man, what a freaking nightmare, what the hell... I though it has exploded for a second, this bunker is really getting on my nerves."

Still not completely reassured, he scanned his room with both eyes, staring in the darkness of the night. Well, an almost complete darkness, the red flickering light of the camera in his room was lightly dimming the corner, daring his impenetrable gaze upon him, as if to mock his misery.

"What, the camera is on ? Oh shit, wouldn't be surprised if this asshole induced this nightmare with a device I don't know about, I mean he faked Eijiro's death, so it would be possible."

As if to approve his concerns, the camera slightly moved upwards and downwards. Denki freezed for a few seconds, half tempted to cover the lens with a piece of cloth, but he kwew the abductor wouldn't appreciate it at all, and might kill him on the spot. So he instead rolled back in his dirty mattress, feeling the hard ground under it.

"God, I just want to get out of here, I'm so done with this bullshit, like seriously man..."

Closing his eyelids, Denki realized today was the end of their first week withing the bunker's wall. A sole, tiny week yet a long and painful experience, unable to call for help and only able to count on themselves, powerless beings at the mercy of a merciless powerful master.

8 lifes taken in one week, each one brutally teared away from this world, ripped to shreds by a maniac. Bloody shreds indeed.

"And I lost Hanta for good, this is... Shit, I should just sleep, I can't focus on the past now, if I do I'll sink and I'll die, I don't want that, neither would he do."

Rummaging through his ocean of thoughts for a few more seconds, Denki eventually managed to fall asleep without crying himself to for once in a week, it was a small achievement, at the very least. But who would celebrate such an saddening exploit ?

* * *

And another handful of hours later, the ringing TV awoke Mezo from his deep sleep, lying motionless in his sheets, staring at the ceiling. The seven day will begin now, and even though Mezo was among the least complaining students, it was starting to get on his nerves too, but he kept to himself, as he always did. He pushed the sheets away as the TV went off.

"Couldn't he at least awoke us a few hours later ? His hours are tiring, how are supposed to sleep peacefully in such a grim setting ?"

At least Mezo didn't minded at all living in a poorly furnished cell, it was a custom for him to care little about material possessions, but he certainly couldn't say the same about his classmates. Last night, he overhead several of them weeping in their sleep with his quirk, and it filled his heart with woe. Grabbing the clothes hanging on the backrest of his chair, he quickly dressed up and left his room.

Setting foot inside the refectory reminded him already 8 of them had passed away, the room was noticeably less packed with students . He wasn't close to any of the deceased, in fact he wasn't close to almost anyone, but their deaths surely filled this soul with sorrow. He quietly served himself his basic breakfast and sat down, only waiting for the order of the day. A feminine voice called him out of the blues.

"Shoji, excuse me, but you're blocking the way, I can't pass.", she said in a calm and soft-spoken tone.

Surprised, he raised his head, to meet with the inquisitive gaze of Ibara Shiozaki, holding a tray filled with fruits and standing in front of him, then he noticed he was sitting at the extreme edge of the table, blocking the corridor between two tables.

"Oh, my apologies, I'll move away, I didn't noticed you wished to go here."

"No, it's fine, I'll just sit down here with you, you're eating by yourself and such a sight I cannot ignore.", she replied with a curt smile, before sitting down at the table to face Mezo.

Of course, Shoji was quite bewildered to be approached by Ibara, as it was very unusual for both of them who really haven't talked together, if at all. But he quickly understood she was feeling alone, as her only classmates still alive were Pony and Tetsutetsu, two peoples she wasn't particularly close to, and might have wished to chat a bit with him.

"Then please do, I don't mind sharing the table with someone. How are you handling this whole experience ?", humbly asked Mezo.

"I try to not think too much about it, I often pray to God to help us, it's one of the few comforts I still have here. But I will admit, it's starting to be long, I don't understand why either the school or the police haven't found us yet."

"I'm sure they're trying their best to, after all we're locked up in a bunker, and if I take into account the testimonies of our comrades, a secret one too, I guess it's well hidden among the nature."

Ibara seemed a bit dejected by Mezo's answer, but she slightly nodded and went back to her meal, as did Shoji. Sitting a few chairs aways from them, Bakugo and his squad were trying to cheer themselves up, but it was obvious the mood has irreversibly changed with Sero's absence at the table. Mina was still pretty down about his loss, and kept staring at her foots.

"Ahoy shitty hair, what's with that face ? You're not talking as much as the usual, hailed Bakugo to Kirishima's, pulling him out of his thoughts, are ya daydreaming or something ?"

Almost frightened by the sudden shout of voice, Kirishima tilted his head towards Bakugo, before instantly looking at his plate.

"No I'm fine Katsuki, I'm just a bit worn out but it's okay, I'll exercice after the breakfast a bit, I need to take care of those muscles !"

"Well then, I'll go with you, it's been a moment since I exercised with you shitty hair and I kinda missed it, got it ?"

Kirishima blushed a bit and rubbed his cheeks in frustration, trying to chase away the red coloring them. "Yeah yeah got it, let's do this after eating tho, I'm damn hungry !", he replied, stabbing his slice of bread with his fork.

Mina finally chuckled a bit from the sudden change of behavior, and the meal resumed in a lighter mood. But Eijiro couldn't look at all to Bakugo, as he knew. He knew how he reacted when his doppelganger died a few days ago, and what he said. Bakugo shouldn't have written that out in a note, carelessly left on the ground in his room.

And as usual, when everyone finished eating, they gathered before the giant and ominous TV, silent judge of their lifes. Denki didn't knew a TV could be morbid, almost macabre, but he was feeling that uneasy when the screen illuminated itself and the mocking voice erupted for once more.

"Well well, I hope you enjoyed your little meal fuckers, maybe your last supper, who knows ? Anyways, who even cares about some petty shit like that, I'll just give the order away and you'll execute it, got it ? Don't think you can circumvent this one too, it's not that easy boys ! Then, enjoy it and see ya later for the survivors !"

And once again, the TV's screen flickered, and the letters appeared, writting another deadly order for the day. And today, the following was scripted on the screen.

**"For the rest of the day, any killing will lead to an immediate victory for the killer, if he isn't caught. If nobody dies by the end of the day, half of the survivors will be terminated."**

Of course, this one fazed everyone in their boots, as it was strongly ressembling a previous order. But this time, an undiscovered killing would result in a offer of escape. Something the most fragiles minds might cling into to escape this hellish place.

And this time, even Aizawa seemed to be clueless about what they should do. This time, a killing was inevitable, and sure enough nobody wished to die. A sudden long plea of despair erupted somewhere in the room, the mood decreased quicker than light that day.

"Mister Aizawa, what should we do ? There is certainly a way to bypass this order too, right ? We can't let someone die again, can't we ?"

"Please, tell us what we should do, I don't want to die..."

Such questions, yet no answers. Aizawa felt completely helpless this time. He couldn't afford to let half of them dying, but he also couldn't authorize a killing before his very eyes, he was still a hero, and such a act would be a crime. He rubbed his hands together, and turned to face his students, as worried as he was.

"Listen, for the moment I don't have any idea of the way things would need to work out to avoid a death. But leave me a few hours and I'll figure it out, as you said Momo there's probably a hole in his order we can use to our advantage.", he announced with a determined and intense gaze.

"In the meantime, I suggest for you to always travel across the bunker in small groups. Don't think I mean any wrong with this measure, but I'd like to avoid other deaths, if possible. Now, go do your things, I'll be in my room. If I need to talk to one of you, you'll know it."

With this advice being said, Aizawa walked away, already lost in his thoughts, as the students looked at each other in various feelings. Some were worried, some were putting their entire trust and life between their teacher's hands and some tried to not. But it was obvious all were afraid of the situation where Aizawa wouldn't come up with a solution to their problem, and things would go downhill fairly quickly.

And the crowd scattered away, in small groups as Shota suggested. Of course, Denki was following Bakugo and Kirishima, accompanied with Mina, a squad was still a squad, not matter what. And as Kirishima told before, they joined the gymnasium, a floor above, to train and exercise with whatever was a their disposal.

Upon entering the room, Bakugo turned the light off, revealing the exact same room as before : the same wodden floors, the same equipments tossed in the backroom, the same scene, but something changed : every evidence of the fake Kirishima's death was gone. Even the splatters of blood on the walls were cleaned, to the last drip, the body itself was long gone.

"So, this is where my doppelganger died, you say ? Man, I wouldn't mind dying in a gymnasium, that's the epitome of a manly environment !", joked Eijiro as he observed the designated spot.

"Don't tell shitty jokes like that Eijiro, you're not funny. And did you seriously used the word epitome, you of all people ?", replied a baffled Bakugo pulling out a few dumbells of a rack.

"Well, I remember you used it in a essay last time, so I thought it could be a nice way to use it !"

"You're a dumbass Ei, don't crack jokes on your fake death to use a complex word like that...", sighed Katsuki as Denki and Mina giggled.

Eijiro only replied with a bright smile, showing all of his teeth, before turning on a treadmill to begin exercising. The rest of the day was spent in the gymnasium for the quartet, training with various machines, hanging out around. They tried to not think about the situation again, as they couldn't really do anything to stop today's order. The only thing they were able to do was wait, until either Aizawa or death called them out.

At one point around 3 PM, Mina excused herself to the bathroom, while Denki was in the backroom looking for a specific item, leaving only Eijiro and Katsuki in the gym. The perfect occasion to confront Bakugo about the note, but he'd might get very angry when he'd knew Eijiro entered his room without permission, so Kirishima opted for a more convoluted way to do this.

Eijiro waited for a few minutes, and carefully shouted out of the blues at Bakugo.

"Hey Katsuki, I was thinking about something in particular. What was your relationship with my clone ? I mean, did you get along ? 'Cause you told me he behaved exactly like me, that's kinda creepy."

Taken by surprise by his direct question, Katsuki turned his head towards Eijiro, who was staring at him with an innocent smile on the lips.

"What... What's that question for shitty head ? I had the same relationship with him as I have with you right now, how could I know he was a pale copie of the original ?"

"A pale copie of the original ? Hey, don't say stuff like that Katsu, it's kinda out of character from you... But anyways, I'm glad you were able to enjoy my clone, it must mean we have a great relationship if you weren't able to tell the difference !", replied Eijiro with a small grin, still gazing at Bakugo. He did enjoyed the compliment...

" Yeah, we have... A good relationship shitty head, but you know that already, the others are just extras hanging around you. Why would ya want me to say the obvious truth...", said a little troubled Bakugo. He was feeling a bit weird in the presence of Eijiro, looking at him with this shitty grin on his face, but it wasn't bad.

"Extras ? Well I'm sure you still care about them, you can't convince me of the contrary ! You can call them friends you know, I'm not the only one with you, Katsuki ! A man is always well surrounded and cares about friendship and stuff ya know !"

"You're not like them Ei, got it ? You're more unique, I can call you a friend, not them, they're hanging out with you. What are those questions about anyways..."

"Unique...? Come on Katsuki, tell me, was it..."

"Hey guys, what are you talking about ? It sounds super interesting, share it with me, I'm your pal !", cut the loud excited voice of Kaminari, suddenly creeping behind Kirishima.

"What the fuck Denki ?!"

Bakugo became incredibly flustered, he hadn't noticed Denki at all, maybe he was here since a few minutes already, but Kirishima laughed it off and went back to his treadmill, focusing on his training. But deep inside, he was as flustered as was Bakugo, since the explosive boy wasn't the type to talk about his feelings with everyone so openly, and Denki interrupted them. Maybe he was even eavesdropping in the backroom ?

But Eijiro shrugged it off and kept on running. A bit saddened. He sure could run on a treadmill, but chasing after someone wasn't as easy, even if you were the best athlete in the world. He was still unsure about how he was feeling towards Bakugo, and hence tried to grab some hints here and there. Maybe the note was a fake put there by the mastermind after all, who knows...

* * *

"Do you understand what you have to do, Tokoyami ?"

"Yes sensei, but I'm still wondering why you have chosen me, out of everyone, to carry such a deed.", sternly replied Fumikage, arms crossed in front of a tired Shota.

Even after Shota explained his plan, Tokoyami couldn't still believe what he was being asked to do, nor why Shota chose him to do it.

Aizawa explained that, since suicide wasn't an option here, he would ask someone to kill him, to avoid another student's death, another star dying out in the dark void, another promising future suddenly cut. Of course, Aizawa didn't wanted to die, but he was resigned, and had lived long enough, compared to his students, future heroes when they'll escape the bunker. Because he was sure they will, they were his students after all.

"I've chosen you, because your quirk will offer a quick and painless death, and you're among the few remaining peoples with a quirk capable of killing someone, and with a mind capable to accept what you've done. Would you really think I'd have ask Kaminari ?" explained the teacher in his firm tone.

"I do understand, but killing someone, even if you're asking me to do it, it's a crime, unworthy of a hero...", Fumikage tragically said.

"I'll make sure to let anybody picking you up after your escape that I wanted this, you won't need to worry about that. I've already written that up in a note, on the table behind you. If you escape with this order, it's perfect, but if it's another scheme, you'll need to survive until the end. "

"Yes, I understand. I can handle this, a hero must help his peers after all, even in such a situation. And your offer will save everyone, at least for this day, but please, know you will be missed, you're still protecting us...", almost broke down Fumikage.

"I'm not Tokoyami, I'm useless. I figured out ways to work around some orders, but it's the best I could do. Please, keep this between us, at least for the rest of day, otherwise my death will be a waste. Now, do it, save your classmates !", abruptly bellowed Aizawa, filled with resolution. He had already accepted his fate.

His sacrifice will allow his students to live longer, and since he wished to avoid any shining star dying out, it was the only option. Aizawa closed his eyes and stood still in front of his bed. A small, lonely tear rolled on his cheek, but it was a tear of pride.

Tokoyami, visibly dejected, almost crying, activated his quirk. With a small roar, Dark Shadow emerged from his cloak and curiously looked at the teacher, unsure. But the stern, empty order from his master was clear. This man must die, for everybody's sake.

"Dark Shadow, kill."

* * *

And the afternoon eventually came to an end in the bunker, reminding everyone the order's deadline was dangerously close and that Aizawa wasn't anywhere to be found, with a miracle solution to brought to the light. Extremely worried and panicked, Tetsutetsu kicked the door of the gymnasium, around 6 PM, to find Bakugo, Kirishima and Denki still working out, even at a late hour like this.

"Guys, what the hell are you doing ? We only have 2 hours before the deadline and we haven't found Aizawa, you should be worried ! Any of you have seen him ?", he yelled to the boys.

"Steely hair, what the fuck are you saying ? The teach didn't said anything ? I thought he was supposed to find a solution !", shouted back Bakugo, now afraid at his turn. He sure didn't wanted to die too, and trusted Aizawa to take care of the problem.

"No, he's nowhere to be found ! What are we supposed to do, besides looking for him ? Denki, come with me, Kirishima, take Bakugo and help us as well ! The more we are, the sooner we'll found him !"

Kirishima quickly nodded, and he grabbed a protesting Katsuki by the shoulder before disappearing in the staircases, still covered in sweat from the training. A bit puzzled, Denki joined with Tetsu, and they left the gym at their turn, hastily closing the door behind them.

"We should take a look around this floor too, the others are already covering the uppers floors and the cells !", precised Tetsu as he entered the hallway running along the corridor.

This hallway, lightly dimmed, as the rest of the bunker was, was giving the creeps to both boys, but they didn't really cared at the moment. The ominous and eerie atmosphere did slowed their pace a bit, as moving around in such a harrowing air wasn't really pleasant. After looking in a few storage rooms, filled with sports equipments it seemed, Denki and Tetsu reached the bathroom of this floor, gently put one next to another.

"I don't know why, but they're creeping me out, I don't like these...", whined Denki, peeking inside the boy's room.

"Same, same... I don't think the teacher would be hiding himself in the toilets though, come on, let's get going."

Denki acquiesced, and they walked away, but Denki also decided to ease his friend a little by pulling a little prank. An harmless prank.

"Wait, he's here, I'll catch him, follow me, we're close !", he yelled, kicking the girl's room door open, vanishing into now illuminated room.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing, as if he would be inside the girls toilets, get back here !", Tetsu shouted back kind of amused, following him into the room. Entering the girl's toilets wasn't really anything near appropriate, but he needed to catch Denki.

"Come back here..."

He then noticed Denki, standing completely quiescent in front of a opened stall, a hand in front of him. He wasn't moving, he wasn't talking. A true statue.

"Denki, what is it, there's a girl inside the stalk eheh ? Move away idiot.", Tetsu humoured as he pulled him away from the stall.

And he then noticed the poal of blood, coming out of the stall and soaking the immaculate dirties tiles. A staunch odor invaded his nose, a metallic odor he knew too well. He must've been dreaming, right? It can't be real...

He raised his head.

It wasn't a dream.

Sitting on the toilet seat, was Mina, or rather her fresh corpse, brutally murdered. One of her eye was gouged out, replaced by a wide hole pouring with blood and tears, and her torso was covered in stab wounds. The knife was still there, stabbing her right in the heart, her shirt was colored in a vivid red and her face seemed to be screaming for help, but her pleas were now silent ones.

_Mina Ashido was dead._

_Day 7_

_Alive : 16_

_Deaths : 10_


	10. Day 8

Mina Ashido, a once brilliant and friendly girl, appreciated by many of her classmates, was dead, dead body sitting on the toilet seat soaking with blood, drowning the floor under with that scarlet liquid. Slow drips of blood merging with the poal underneath, resonating within the boys' minds in the purest silence possible. Both Tetsu and Denki hadn't fully grasped the truth if the situation, staring mindlessly at the macabre setting, eyes locked on the corpse of their friend. Denki's trembling voice rose up.

"She's... Dead... No, that can't be right, she can't be dead, what the fuck..."

"Holy crap dude, she's dead... Come on, let's get out of here, right now..."

Still half in shock, Denki didn't react when Tetsu grabbed him by the sleeve, pulling him out of the girls bathroom, coming back into the hallway. Of course, Tetsutetsu was utterly shocked as well, but staying here could be dangerous if a killer was on the loose, even more considering the violence of the murder. One eye was gouged out after all.

So they headed towards the main hall, passing through another empty hallway and staircases, still in the need to find their teacher, the only adult. Be they quickly realized their misfortune when they noticed the distraught and tormented looks on everybody's faces. All were looking for Aizawa, searching the entire bunker and each and every room, but he was nowhere to be found, as if he had vanished into the compound's shadows.

"There you are guys ! We thought we were already here so we hurried up, no luck on our side, you found anything ?", raised the inquisitive yet surprised voice of Kirishima, reaching Tetsu and Denki.

"She's dead, she's fucking dead, what the hell that wasn't supposed to happen... We were trying to forget this whole situation...", could only mutter Denki, staring at the ground.

"What is he saying again ? We don't have time for his nonsense, we must find Aizawa, and fucking right now, it's 6:30 PM !"

"Calm down Katsuki, you're not going to help us... Denki, tell me, what do you mean by "she's dead ?"", calmy asked Eijiro, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Mina is dead you idiot, she died ! She bled to death, what the hell, she's dead I tell you !", eventually broke down Denki in a painful hoarse scream, catching everyone's attention.

Fazed by the revelation, Eijiro didn't reacted at first. But his brain promptly connected the dots between them. Mina Ashido was dead. The cheerful, happy young woman she was was no longer. His childhood friend, that supported him in his middle school crisis savagely passed away. In a cold and unknown bunker, right next to him, and he couldn't save her. Powerless. So not manly.

Eijiro's grasp on Denki's shoulders gradually weakened, his visions was blurred, the world spinning around him, in a whirlwind of horror, terror and quietness. Loud shouts echoed to his eardrums, whether those noises were directed to him or Mina, he didn't know, they didn't mean a thing. The ground disappeared below his feets, and that gale swallowed him, casting a black veil upon his eyes.

He passed out, right in the middle odf the refectory.

When he opened his eyes again, Eijiro was surrounded by silence, frigidity and darkness, stretching in all directions around him, dissappearing into the horizon. An unique, small ray of light somewhere in front of him. Eijiro sat up, puzzled by the situation.

"Did I died ? Am I in Hell or something ? Damn it's cold..."

And then he remembered. He fell into unconsciousness in the main room a few instants ago, his soul shaken up by that horrible discovery. He felt cold biting shivers in his spine, at the very least he never saw the body. He sighed, fille of woe. He didn't even have the force to cry. His entire being was crushed with only a few words, and he only felt like lying on the ground, here in the middle of a void.

A sonorous noise cut through his thoughts, and the small beam of light he has just saw suddenly powered by itself, until Eijiro was now surrounded by this warm and reassuring feeling, that feeling of being cared about.

"Am I in heaven...?"

"The hell you talking about Ei ?", asked a bewildered Bakugo staring at him, holding a tray of food in his hands.

"Oh, Bakugo ? Wait, that's my room...! But I passed out in the refectory before, what happened...". Kirishima pleaded, quickly gazing upon Katsuki.

"Well, you passed out, everyone went crazy knowing Mina was killed, and they tried to look for Aizawa again. I carried you to your room, but we still haven't found him, the hell is he...", he explained, visibly gloomy behind his facade.

"You carried me...? Hey, that's nice of you Kat... I just realized, the mastermind's order was completed with Mina's death. Fuck this dude, he took Mina..."

Eijiro was still very shook and in denial at the moment, but he knew everything that had happened until now was very real, so was Ashido's bloody demise. Yet he still had to accept it. His friend was now gone, as was Sero prior. One after another, they were dying, far from everything they knew, from their families and homes. Losts souls in a sea of madness, roaring waves tearing their sanity apart.

Eijiro was on the verge of crying. He couldn't yet he wished to so badly. Crying for a bit could ease his pain, but the pain refused to came out. He angrily squeezed the sheets under his fists.

"How long did I stayed here ? We need to g.. Grab Aizawa as soon as possible..."

"I'm not sure, as you said the order was completed, the mastermind told us on that giant TV, and he said the name of the killer will be revealed tomorrow. He was laughing his ass off...", replied a slightly irked Bakugo, putting the tray on Eijiro's desk.

"A few hours then, alright..."

Eijiro sighed again. He couldn't cry in front of Katsuki thought, it would not be very manly, and Bakugo might be disappointed in him. He couldn't yet he wanted. But his morore tone alerted Katsuki, whom walked away from the desk and squatted down before his mournful friend.

"Oi Eiji, what's wrong ?", Bakugo softly inquired, his crimson glare scanning the silent Kirishima.

"Katsuki...? Hey, I don't want to bore you with my things, you should still be looking for Azaiwa..."

"Cut that bullshit Ei, I know something's wrong, I can see it so clearly. Look, you're not even looking at me."

Caught unaware by Bakugo's outspokenness, Eijiro broke down at his turn, and unload his entire chest directly. His mourning, his fears, his powerless existence, how afraid he was to become the next mastermind's puppet, to die at merciless hands while he could do nothing but curl up and wait for his deadly destiny.

Katsuki sat down for a while, listening to Eijiro's entire story, caring about every detail that brought his friend down. And after this small talk session, Eijiro felt a bit better and lighter, now that he could vent his worries to someone. Bakugo never flinched for a second while listening, he really liked it.

"So here you go Katsuki, I'm afraid, powerless and useless. I couldn't even save Mina while she was fucking murdered a few rooms next to us...", he started to say.

But Bakugo grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him against him in a tight and agreeable embrace, warming Eijiro's body with affection and compassion. A bold move, that surely caught Eijiro off guards at his turn, absolutely not used, as everyone was, to notice a single demonstration of affection from the blond-ashed teen.

"Hey, Katsuki, what are you doing...?", Kirishima slowly asked while hugging him back.

"Shut up and accept it.", abruptly responded Bakugo in his usual fashion, only tightening the grip.

Eijiro didn't know how to react. Or, more accurately, knew but couldn't, still unsure of his feelings. Flustered, he blushed a little and hid his head inside Katsuki's shoulder, unaware of how Katsuki was doing on his side. This soft and affectionate hug warmed his body, but that note from the other day...

_It warmed his heart._

* * *

Another day started in the bunker, the eighth. Silently yet surely, Kyoka slowly opened her eyes to meet again with her naked concrete ceiling. A new day yet they all felt interminable to Jirou's soul. She tried to keep herself in a good mood to forget their situation a bit, but even her has limits, and those limits were reached yesterday with Mina's death. They were good friends, not especially close but still had a fairly great relationship.

She still couldn't believe her death was real. It all seemed so fake when Tetsu led them toward the location of her body, as Denki was still in a shock state. The blood, the staunch smell tickling her nostrils, the body itself, that horrendous smell, the knife sticked in her chest, death's smell...

After this, they still tried to locate Aizawa's position, but he was still nowhere to be found. Kyoka couldn't lie to herself, she was glad the order was done, but another precious life was cut short because of that mastermind's perverted, tainted soul. And she couldn't stop the tears flooding her eyes when she cried herself to sleep. She wanted to hold back her tears, but alas she couldn't.

"I should just dress up already, I'm still worried about Denki, it hit him hard enough...", she woefully lamented to herself as she jumped from her mattress.

A last quick glance at her room, portly decorated from what she found in the storage room, and she was off to the refectory. In the silent hallway, her footsteps loudly echoed. More of these used to heard only a few days ago, but the bunker never played kindly with its inhabitants.

She reached the main hall fairly quickly, and was among the last to enter. Everyone was already gathering before the giant TV screen, this time they didn't even had breakfast before. Another proof this event traumatized their weakening psyches.

"Kyoka, over here !", called out Kirishima, seemingly surprisingly peaceful.

"Hey guys, I hardly slept last night, I couldn't think about anything else than... You know..."

"Yeah I know, I thought about it a lot too. And now I only want to know who is the one that killed Mina."

"Same here, before they leave this place, if the mastermind keep his promise... Still, to know it's one of us is disgusting me so much...", spat a dejected Kyoka.

"Yeah same, someone we're trusting, wonder his Aizawa will deal with it once he get back... If you're looking for Denki, he's at the tables..."

Kyoka smiled a bit to thank Kirishima then walked towards the quiet Kaminari, at the exact same time the TV began to flicker. Rumors were being murmured, that Aizawa vanished because he had actually found the mastermind and fought him.

And as expected, it finally illuminated the tired faces of the remaining students, highlighting their eyebags and grimaces. And as awaited, the robotic voice spoke up once again, silencing the whispers.

"Heeyyy fellas, what's up dudes ? Ya feeling great amiright ? One of your friends just died, you must be filled with overjoy ! Hmf, your faces are saying otherwise, but I don't give a single shit ah ah ! I'm sure you only want to know a thing, one only thing : the identity of the murderer ! Well, sorry to burst your bubble but there's actually two killers amongst us !"

A loud gasp later, Rikido's voice loudly exclaimed : "What do you mean ? That two people killed Mina in that bathroom ?"

"No, what I mean is that your beloved teacher is dead ! And one of you killed him ! Oh my god your faces, they're worth a million... No, a billion laughs ! I should stop the suspense now ! Our killers are Tokoyami Fumikage for the murder of Shota Aizawa, and Ibara Shiozaki is the culprit of Mina Ashido's demise !"

Another gasp of surprise and fear, and everyone's head tilted to face either Tokoyami or Ibara. Still at the tables, Kyoka and Denki eyes widened as Ibara calmly walked before the screen, a face exempt of any sort of regrets.

"Alright, I had enough of this place, a very important destiny is awaiting me outside, the gods have spoken. Allow me to quit this place at once.", she ordered at the mastermind, while Tokoyami stayed quiet.

"But, but, there's a problem !, suddenly objected the kidnapper, completely ignoring Ibara's demand. You see, I wasn't expecting two deaths from two differents people ! So only the first will count, and it's your Tokoyami, since you killed that teacher prior Ibara. So be happy, you'll be able to escape !"

Tokoyami gravely sighed, and stood straight in front of the screen next to Ibara.

"I'm not pleased, but our teacher requested me to kill him, so all of us will survive. Know he asked for it. So I will leave, but my heart shall stay here."

"Melodramatic much, Fumikage ? Anyways, step aside, the door will open y'all, and only him will be able to leave. If any other person approaches the exit I'll blow their head off. I'll give the order after he leaves."

The TV abruptly powered off, and the ground shaked underneath their feets, like a small earthquake. And soon enough, a small cavity opened below the TV, right next to the small points' box. A refreshing stream of air escaped, but the small corridor, plunged into darkness, wouldn't allow the students in the hall to see any details about this escape route.

Tokoyami stood in the silence stroking his feathers, contemplating his escape path. A path he wasn't proud to walk on, even more when Aizawa's death was useless in the end. But Fumikage wasn't the kind to run away from his written destiny, so he took a deep breath and a first step...

To immediately feel an excruciating pain around his waist as he was being pulled in the air, mercilessly launched in the corner of room by a very angry Ibara. Her calm and humble facade had completely vanished, only leaving a shrieking banshee.

"The gods have spoken, and I will obey ! If you must die so I can fulfill my mission so be it ! My faith will be my guide !", she shouted, already sprinting towards Tokoyami.

Others voices screamed in surprise and bewilderement when she hit Tokoyami in the head with her hair again, knocking him against the ground. But Fumikage wouldn't go down without a fight and activated Dark Shadow, whom punched Ibara so hard she bumped in the tables at the opposite end, crushing them.

"Oh god, please stop this fighting, somebody is going to be hurt ! Stop it !", pleaded Momo, but her pleas were met with even more violence.

This life or death fight was scaring the guts out of Fumikage, but he knew he didn't wanted to die and must hold his grounds against the enemy. After all, a hero would always fight for the greater good.

Ibara charged again, impulsed by her hair, and battle face to face with Dark Shadow. Each strike, each punch, each cut sounded like the flammes of Hell, burning in rage. The advantage was switching sides every few seconds, their strengths and weaknesses reciprocaly annihilating themselves. The issue could be anything, the victorious side could be anyone.

Dark Shadow grabbed Ibara's hair with one hand and threw her back against the opposite wall, crackling it under the violent pression. Distraught, Ibara spat in disgust.

"You must be terminated, you're interfering with the divine ! You don't know who you're messing with ! May their lights puri-"

She never ended her sentence.

Instead, she screamed. In pain. An excruciating pain as the cold bite of the knife stabbed her right in the stomach. A few times. She tried to move her limbs, her hair, but she felt a violent electric current travelling her while body, paralyzing her muscles ! The singlest toe was immobilized.

Ibara tried to talk, but a gush of fresh blood poured between her teeth as life was leaving her wounded body soaking in blood, splashing the concrete ground with that scarlet liquid. Falling on her knees in the poal, holding her stomach, the last thing Ibara Shiozaki saw in this life was a vengeful Denki, crying a silent apology.

Ibara Shiozaki was dead, killed by the same student she defeated months ago at the sports festival. Cruel irony.

Denki, covered in blood and still firmly maintaining his grip on the blade, turned around to face the others, eyes flooded with tears. He broke up. His vengeful soul replaced his rational skills.

"I'm sorry... She was going to kill someone and... She killed Mina, I'm sorry guys, I'm sorry please forgive me...", he wept, hidding his face in his bloody hands.

Everyone was in utter shock and disbelief. In a few minutes, Ibara almost killed Tokoyami but Denki ended her life before she could. And Tokoyami will still be able to escape alive, a future not guaranteed for any of the others. Kyoka and Tetsutetsu walked towards Denki to reassure him, while the rest grouped around Tokoyami examinating his injuries. Luckily, none was serious.

"I wasn't expecting her to attack me out of nowhere, even less to murder me. What was wrong with her, we'll never know." He simply huffed, rubbing his hurting limbs.

"None of us was expecting this, but at least you'll escape this place alive Tokoyami."

"Please, as soon as possible, find heroes or the police, and tell them what's happening here, we need help !", diligently asked Momo.

Tokoyami silently nodded. Trying to find anybody capable to save his classmates would be his first priority as soon as he'll step outside. A few students cheered him up a little, but Fumikage knew his mission wasn't over, and as he said, his heart shall stay here, among his peers.

Stepping before the still open cavity after the final goodbyes, holding his case, Tokoyami slightly bowed one last time, and dissappeared into the darkness, his collar detaching from his neck, falling onto the ground as the door closed by itself, hiding again into the wall. What will become Tokoyami won't be know by the remaining students, at least for now.

And not a few minutes later, as the room was still littered with debris and blood, the TV went on again, offering to the survivors a malicious laugh.

"Well, well, things have taken an interesting turn, to say the least ! A death I wasn't expecting again, I like your fighting spirits ! Anyways fuckers, here's the order I so promised, have fun with it !"

As usual, a black screen and red letters waving around one another. This time, the message they wrote was :

**"Student Eijiro Kirishima must reveal his secret in front of everybody else. Revealing the wrong secret will cause a termination ~"**

Eijiro almost thought he'd pass out again when they were all glaring at him suspiciously, probably suspecting he'd have some sort of connection with the mastermind. Yet Bakugo wasn't suspicious, but rather...

_Anxious._

_Day 8_

_Alive : 14_

_Deaths : 11_

_Escaped : 1_


	11. Day 8 bis

Eijiro couldn't direct his gaze away from the screen projecting its order, while everyone else in the room was still staring at him. In the back, Bakugo nervously looked at the ground, rubbing his neck in anxiousness. Eijiro needed to reveal his crush in front of everybody, and Katsuki didn't know what answer he should expect from Kirishima, who still haven't said a word, visibly way too stressed, it was understandable though as it was a well-guarded secret.

"A crush ? Damn, I can't talk about that, not in frinnt of you guys, I really can't, it's very personal !", eventually whined Eijiro when the screen faded out to black.

"Eijiro, if you don't share it with us you'll be executed, and I really don't wish to see that !", said Rikido.

"Rikido is right, Kirishima, you'll be terminated if you don't talk ! Nobody wants to see another dead body in that room, we've seen enough horrors.", added Tsuyu with worried eyes staring at the redhead.

But despite the words from his classmates, assuring they wouldn't judge him in anything he might reveal, Eijiro couldn't bring himself to speak up. He stood there, in the middle of the refectory, deadly silent. The sole thing coming out of his lips was a small gust of air, Kirishima was awfully quiet. He knew if he didn't reveal the name his head will roll on the floor again, but... The stress was too much to handle.

"I'm sorry guys, I just can't, I just... Fuck this, he's trying to play with my feelings, I won't let that happen, fuck that abductor, fuck everything !", he suddenly bursted, before violently storming out of the refectory, slamming the doors behind him which resonated into the room's silence.

The remaining students were dumbfounded. Until now, Eijiro's sanity remained relatively untouched, he even tried to cheer others up while they were feeling down. Despite being trapped inside this unknown bunker, Eijiro never failed to lighten up the mood since he returned, hence this sudden outburst of violence was previously unseen. Nobody knew how to react.

"Maybe we should look after him ? He won't try anything funny wouldn't he ?", reluctantly asked Kyoka.

"I suppose it would be better to leave him alone for now, he's deeply troubled by this order. He should get better in a few hours, and then we could try to ask him again.", suggested Momo, still concerned.

"Still, that one order is messed up ! Exposing Eijiro private's life like that, only a maniac would do that !", spat a dejected Mineta.

"Look who's talking...", thought Bakugo in his lonely corner of solitude, rummaging through his mind's wanders. He certainly would chase after Eijiro, his behavior was most concerning and he truly needed comfort from a loved one, his best friend to be precise. At least for now...

So, without saying a word, Bakugo took his leave from his classmates still discussing the matters at hand, and begun to track down his nervous friend down the halls. While roaming through them, Bakugo pondered. Since their awakening in the bunker, 8 days have passed, today being the eighth, and so far, 11 of them have perished by the abductor's hand, directly or indirectly, including their teacher, and only one managed to escape the facility.

They were helpless and powerless against an elusive and unpredictable enemy, a situation they were absolutely unprepared for, their hero's classes weren't of any help in order to leave this living hell. And moreover, they were killable. Even when they were facing the league of villains Bakugo didn't felt that feeling of helplessness, at least they could fight back to defend their lives and their loved ones. But currently, they could only pray to not be designated by the orders.

"What the hell, why am I thinking about that right now ? That's Deku's job to analyze everything... Shit, Izuku."

And to crown this marvelous theater, Bakugo witnessed with his very eyes Deku's throat sliced up by Tetsutetsu, right before him. It was self-defense, but... Izuku was deceased. This reality was still hard to accept, even after several days, since the greenette has been a permanent element in Bakugo's life, always in his surrounding. And he missed him. Who'd have thought he'd miss that nerd ?

Bakugo carried on his walk, now reaching the third floor without even noticing. He decided to investigate this particular floor he never set foot into a bit more, pushing the doors to meet up with the flashing "School" sign hanging from another door, slightly ajar with a thin beam of light illuminating the corridor, indicating somebody's presence.

"Shitty hair, you're here ? What the hell are you doing in that class..."

Bakugo gently pushed the door open, and as expected, Eijiro was inside, sitting on top of a wooden desk and facing the corkboards nailed with various childish drawings and informative pamphlets. Upon hearing footsteps in his back, he tilted his head backwards, revealing red and tired eyes. He had cried, a lot. Even the manliesr man had its limits.

"Katsuki ? What're you doing here ? I thought I'd be alone here..."

"I was looking for you, idiot. They were all super worried to see you running away like that, without any explanation... They're still in the refectory.", Bakugo's carefully responded, walking up to his friend.

"Bahaha, worried... I'm more than worried, I'm terrified ! The abductor clearly chose me because he knew my feelings are my weakness. I can't reveal this.", Kirishima sadly whispered.

"Look shitty head, you can reveal that up, you're stronger than that, I know you enough to draw that conclusion. It's not like anyone would judge you you know, the situation doesn't allow it."

"I know, but still... How can I tell them about the person I love ? That stuff's personal, there's things I'm not willing to share with anyone..."

"Ei... Stop this, come on ! I know it's very difficult but I can't suffer to see you dying again ! I don't want to see your decapitated body falling on the floor a new time !", yelled Bakugo, loud enough to startle the calm Eijiro, who stared at him in surprise.

"Katsuki, you're... crying ? No way, what the hell... I didn't want to make you cry, I'm sorry ! Oh gosh what have I done...! ", realized Eijiro when he noticed Bakugo's eyes flooded in tears, slowly rolling down his cheeks. Bakugo was both angry and sad, he then grabbed the redhead by the shoulders.

Ignoring the brief astounded "huh" from Eijiro, Katsuki broke down at his turn, and buried his head inside Eijiro's shoulder, soaking his shirt in tears.

"Fuck it, I can't keep it to myself anymore, not while you might died tonight ! I love you shitty head, and I don't even know why ! How the fuck was I supposed I'd feel in love, even more with an idiot like you... !"

"Why do you think I don't want to see you dying, again ?! I care about you, so much, I just don't know how to tell it, I'm so bad with that stuff... Fuck that shit, I don't want to lose you, not again ...!"

Each sentence was spasmodic, repetitively interrupted with loud hiccups and weeping. For the first time in his entire life, Bakugo expressed his feelings he harbored towards someone. He failed to properly express his gratitude to Izuku, but he managed to declare his love. He was shaking, holding onto Eijiro's cloth for dear life.

Inside Kirishima's mind, each and every type of emotions were mixing. Surprise, relief, happiness, sorrow and pity. His crush confirmed himself their feelings, and those were mutual, to Eijiro's greatest joy, but the place and time weren't the best. Yet, he knew what he needed to do, calm down Katsuki.

So Kirishima gently hugged the sobbing boy and rested his head against his shoulder. Sharing a tight embrace, he felt warmth slowly but surely overwhelming his body, and an sjdde urge to protect his love. So, that how you knew you were in love, it's not bad, thought a peaceful Eijiro.

For a few minutes that seemed to be centuries, every worry vanished and the world was now only two boys, numb to everything and everyone besides their idyll. A single, unique point of light inside the bunker's darkness, lightening a path to escape, yet the path still needed to be taken.

"Katsuki... I love you too."

* * *

"It's 3 PM already, where's Kirishima ? He still needs to reveal that secret...", nervously asked a tired Ochaco, sitting at one of the refectory's tables.

"I don't know, but we can't force him if he's not ready yet. This secret must be extremely heavy, for him to react in such a way.", noted Tsuyu.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd see him panicking to the point of running away somewhere. But again, this whole situation is really out of the ordinary."

Both acquiesced and kept talking, while Rikido quietly observed them from the kitchen, baking some cake to kill time with the ingredients he found in the storage room. He didn't hear a single word from their conversation, but he guessed it must have been about Kirishima's sudden outburst.

"We're going nuts, one after another. It's only been 8 days but it's almost like an entire age has passed. Gosh, I'm tired of this place, but I still want to escape alive ! We've witnessed enough deaths...", he contemplated, quickly glaring upon Ibara's body in the corner of the room, hastily covered in a crimson blanket.

But as he resumed his cooking, he noticed Bakugo and Eijiro entering the refectory by the staircases' doors, almost hand in hand and strangely calms. Eijiro wasn't nervous anymore but appeased and Bakugo was smirking a bit. An unusual sight for sure, almost creepy, thought Sato in irony, what happened between those two ? In any case, Kirishima was ready to share his secret.

A few minutes later, the rest of the class was called and gathered around the redhead, patiently waiting for everyone to arrive at the scene. Katsuki was still grinning and didn't pay attention to anybody, lost in his thoughts. Whatever problem Eijiro had up here, the blondie found a way to solve it.

"Okay okay, now that everyone's here, I can talk about that. But before going any further, I just want to make sure that you won't judge me about my personal tastes."

A collective nod followed, and now completely relieved, Kirishima took a deep, long breath and confessed.

"Well, it's very simple guys, I'm in love with Bakugo... That's it, that's my secret ! Sorry if I made it sounds like a big deal, but I couldn't really reveal my feelings while those concerned were in the room."

"Huh, that's all ? That's cool, but how did you managed to accept this order ? Your reaction was kinda harsh and all...", asked a curious Tetsutetsu.

"Well, let's just say that's it's easier when the concerned person share the same feelings, I don't have to worry about that part anymore eh...", he replied, slightly flustered.

Relieved, the tense atmosphere disappeared to be replaced with a more jovial and breezy one. As expected, everyone assailed the duo with questions, but Bakugo refused to answer, only confirming that he and Kirishima were now a couple, whereas Kirishima answered every and single one of them, eager to lighten up the mood as he could. Eventually, everyone returned to their business.

"So, all of this tension, this nonsense only to know that Eijiro is gay ? That was a lot of suspense for nothing !", joked Denki, now in the gymnasium with Kyoka, playing basketball until dinner. They killed time as they could, the bunker didn't offer much distractions. But for once, the day would come to an end peacefully.

"Yeah, I mean, it wasn't really a secret was it ? It was pretty obvious he felt something for Bakugo, the way he looked at him and all, we all knew it !"

"I'm more surprised about Bakugo though ! I wouldn't have thought he'd love Eijiro too, he's rather special even if he's a good guy."

"You sure said it... Watch out for the ball idiot !", shouted Kyoka, right before Kaminari's head met up intimately, triggering a load of laughs from Kyoka while he fell on the ground, butt first.

"You're not bad too Kyoka, but you don't realize it, you have one hell of a laugh..."

* * *

And the eighth day came to an end at this turn, turning another page for the bunker's inhabitants. The dinner was jolly, sprinkled with fun and jokes, even Bakugo joined them. This one dinner sparkled joy, while the other ones didn't, and Rikido's cakes topped this meal as probably the best one they had in a while.

Of course, their classmates' deaths were still preoccupying them, but they tried to keep moving forwards. If they were to succumb to despair, the abductor could easily manipulate them and trick them into killing one another, as their boundaries would have disappeared. Even the smallest chance of leaving the bunker would be harshly disputed. Blood would be spilled.

But a few hours later, in the middle of the night, Koda couldn't feel asleep, staring at his empty ceiling. Until now, his quietness and shyness avoided him any sorts of troubles, and kept him out of any thralls, but he had a gut feeling this wouldn't last for long. Neutrality was forbidden by the area's master. But while he stayed silent, his sanity, along with everyone else's, was striked pretty hard.

"It's starting to tickle my nerves, all of those deaths... We could have avoided them, if we all worked together every time ! But the only one to blame is the mastermind, he's ripping our souls apart...", he cogitated in his bunny's sheets.

His mind wandered for a while in the dark, reviewing the lasts events, their discoveries and the outside world. What were the heroes, the school doing ? Weren't they looking from them ? Their families must've been extremely worried, after a whole week of silence. Their calvary was far from over, yet so many families will be mourning...

He also thought of what they knew so far about their bunker : it was somehow linked to the military, probably empty before their arrival and shrouded in scientific's mysteries. To say they were shrouded in mystery too wouldn't be a lie. They didn't know much, but enough to understand that their abductor was a powerful being that knew details about their private lives. If they wished to escape, they must forget any direct approaches, their life could be ended with a simple touch on a button. This collar was heavy.

Deeply troubled by all of these thoughts merging together in his mind, Koji thought it'd be nice to get up and drink something in the kitchen. It was only around 2 AM, so he'd probably be alone in the refectory. Not that he minded, on the contrary, he wished to return to bed as fast as possible.

"'I need to refresh myself. There's probably something in the fridge, maybe some leftovers..."

Simply dressed in white pants and shirt, he slowly emerged from his mattress, passing next to animalistic posters he found in the storage room, which seemed to cast their last judgment upon him, and made his way in the corridor bordering his room. A deep and gloomy atmosphere rambled in the hall, chilling him down to the bone.

"It's scary during day time, but without any sorts of lights it's even more terrifying...", he thought.

But at least, he reached the kitchen fairly quickly, unclosing the steady doors to the sleeping refectory. In the darkness, the stony aspect of the walls was emphasized, and the harmless tables projected ominous shadows in the night.

"Yeah, definitely scarier, I'm sure we're not supposed to enter this area at night. Maybe to avoid this uneasy feeling, it's almost like I'm being stalked from behind these tables..."

Hurrying, Koji joined the kitchen area by feel along the wall, until the felt the cold metallic sensation under his hands. The fridge. Firmly but shakily, Koji seized the handle and opened it, being welcomed with a small chill wind and a gentle unique light, illuminating his face, strangely deformed. Several bottles of water, he took one and closed the fridge again.

"No way I'm drinking here, I'll go back to my room, that's better. This room is creeping me out."

Bottle in hand, he prepared to turn back to his warm bed, to a peaceful sleep.

But suddenly froze in place, squeezing the plastic container.

A chill breathing on his neck, chilling him down to the bone. Stalking, like a predator would observe its pray, patiently waiting until it'd be caught in its claws. And Koda was caught.

"Uh, what-", he tried to shout in surprise.

But the coldness went away as soon as it appeared, and a warm sensation submerged his body, an agreeable one, comforting and familiar. He made a step forward, feeling a splash of liquid under his bare feets.

The liquid was lukewarm.

"Wait, I thought this water was supposed to be fresh ?", thought Koda as he collapsed to the ground, reaching his throat with both hands, from where he felt a rushing liquid between his fingers.

"Uh, my shirt is crimson now ? I'm sure it was white a moment ago, did I messed up something..."

"Mama, what's wrong with my shirt ? Why is it red ?"

"Mama, I'm back !"

Kneeling before the cold fridge, splattered with his warm blood, Koji was still in denial, even with the impossibility to breathe. His mom would certainly know what was the mistake he did.

"Mama, what did I do wrong ? What happened ?"

"Don't leave me Mama, I need your help..."

He tried to call her again, but no words were coming out of his mouth. He hasn't said a word at all. He was pulled back to reality.

"Uh, no, no no it can't be, oh please no, Mama help me...", he thought at last, before his eyes ultimately lost their lively brightness.

_But at least, he would be enjoying a good night of sleep now, even if this night would last an eternity._

_Day 9_

_Alive : 13_

_Deaths : 12_

_Escaped : 1_


	12. Day 9

"So, you're saying you found him like that when you entered the kitchen ? Laying dead against the fridge ?"

"Yeah, he was dead since a moment already, he completely bled out on the floor..."

"That's an awful way to go, judging by his face..."

Sighing, Kirishima and Kyoka silently gazed upon Koda's now cold body, silently crying for help in quiet pleas. His face, twisted by the horror and shock he had probably seen and striated with dried tears, was staring at the fridge, eyes closed. He has probably been murdered somewhere in the night, while they were sleeping, so his killer could use the shadows as an advantage to neatly cut Koda's throat. But the worst part wasn't to met up with a corpse while heading for a nice breakfast.

It was to become accustomed to met up with them. Neither Eijiro nor Kyoka admitted it, but they weren't really surprised nor horrified, and that thought was horrible. Of course, encountering a butchered classmate wasn't an experience to wish and still terrifying, a new macabre portrait to remind they were vulnerable, but they couldn't say they were as desperate as the first days.

But the ugly truth was lying before them. A new victim has fell under the masterminds claws and his killer was still walking among them, hiding his deed to the public's eye. The few remaining trust links vanished that day like a mere freezing breeze.

And soon enough, the remaining survivors gathered in the hall, greeted by Koda's body as they arrived from their cells. Mineta puked, Ochaco cried, Bakugo seemed hopeless. But as suspected, each highschooler was throwing sidelong glances, as they all understood Koda has been wiped out by one of them. The loud usual buzzing noise suddenly called them back to reality. They looked up to the giant TV, dazzling.

"Well well well, it seems like we've got a nice little surprise this morning my guys, don't we ? I'm sure you like it ! Poor Koda though, he was the most harmless of the group, an easy target ! Of course, I saw everything that happened !", he almost shouted in amazement.

"And I suppose ya won't say a word about it, dickhead ?", furiously spat Bakugo.

"My my, you're understanding fast, what a genius ! Of course I won't, it wouldn't be funny. This event isn't directly linked to my little game though. Anyways, I've said what I wanted to say, now got your daily order. See ya later alligator !", he bade farewell.

Bakugo grunted, annoyed by the arrogant tone of this twisted man, as the letters slowly intertwined on the screen to write the order of the day, casting its ominous artificial light on the tired students' faces.

"A game will happen, participating is mandatory. The rules will be explained. "

"Each student, as the roll call says after the first one acted, must offer a finger (or several) to a classmate. Breaking the bones also works. The right hand gives points, the left erases them. For example, offering the 5 right fingers to someone will brought their score to 5, but if this person receive 5 left fingers after, the score will be bright back to 0. It's possible to give points to yourself or miss your turn."

"In the end, the student with the most points shall kill the one with the least. Failing to kill will result in termination."

After the rules disappeared from the screen, a loud locking noise resonated in the refectory before anybody could even breathe. Alarmed, Bakugo almost immediately understood what was going on, and sprinted towards the closest door. He then tried to pull it open, kicked it, but to no avail as the steady door didn't even flinched. The mastermind had locked them in the room, probably to ensure they will obey.

Or maybe to allow the distrustful and tense atmosphere to rise even more.

"Damn it, he locked the door from the outside , we can't get out !", shouted Katsuki in anger, kicking again in the metal.

"Bakugo, calm down ! We cannot allow ourselves to cede to panic, we must remain still !", called Momo, visibly worried.

"But this game... Is insane, someone will die, that much we're sure of ! I don't want to participate in that stuff !", yelled Mineta, staring at the stony ground.

"Yet if we don't play it, we're all doomed to be executed. That's absolutely not any better idiot, I don't want to die here but playing the game offers us a chance to make it out of this hell alive !", firmly affirmed Kyoka, clenching her fists under the emotions.

"Yes, if we play along the mastermind we can remain alive much.", interjected Pony.

Mineta shrugged his shoulders, but couldn't say the contrary. He was nonetheless scared to die, as everyone should be. But deciding of the date of his classmates was sickening him. He couldn't even decide about what he should wear, Mineta was definitely not cut to make such an important decision. Neither were any of them actually. Voices raised to determine what they should do. A true cacophony.

For a single second, Bakugo thought they could all get away by simply not giving nor erasing any points, but realized this result wouldn't satisfy the mastermind, and their heads will roll on the floor, all decapitated within an instant. Exactly like a sanguine breeze. And while they wee bickering among themselves, time has already begun to pass. Determined to make the first move, he made his way to the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards.

"Whatever that would break a bone would be sufficient. Tch, they didn't even realized I left...", he sighed, glaring at Eijiro arguing with Tetsutetsu.

Finally finding a rolling pine, Bakugo slammed the cupboard's door and put down his right hand on top of the nearest table. Spreading his fingers, nails gently shining from the neons' lights, Bakugo contemplated. By breaking the first finger of the day, he was breaking the hopes of his delusional classmates, thinking they could all make it out alive, and was creating the path to follow. Was he ready for such a decision to take, on behalf everyone's best option ?

He sure was. He wouldn't let anyone kill him down here by refusing to partake in this game.

Bakugo violently slammed the rolling pin against his pinky finger and the wooden table, echoing through the room, cutting through the endless discussion' words. Their future was now set in stone, or at least for this day. Nothing happened after the first blow, but the next produced a gentle cracking sound, soon morphing into a loud and bloody squashing noise. Grimacing under the pain, he lifted his hand. His pinky finger was no longer, broke and covered in red hemoglobin.

"Shitty head, this one is for you. Keep it safe.", he muttered under his painting breath in the noiseless room.

Perhaps the most surprised out of the bunch, Eijiro shook his head, absolutely bewildered by what he has just witnessed. His now boyfriend offered him a point, he thought. But Bakugo wasn't over. Ruthlessly slamming the kitchen instrument against his hand, Bakugo managed to broke his entire hand, sprinkling crimson rain across the table. He was in excruciating pain, but he didn't care. If he shall trade his fingers for his life and his loved one's, he'll gladly do so.

You can easily heal wounded fingers, but not a broken heart.

"Fine... Kirishima, add three points. I'll take one for myself.", Katsuki panted, gasping for air as he hold against the table, still gripping the rolling pin.

"Uh ? Shit Kat, what've you just done... Why didn't you kept all points to yourself ? I don't get it...", he asked confusedly, stating at the bloody mess that was Bakugo's hand.

"Because I want to save you, idiot. You won't die here, not on my watch. I still have one point, I should be okay."

Kirishima's heart bumped a little in his chest, but Bakugo has already handed the rolling pin, covered in his own blood, to Minoru, next on the roll call, whom grabbed it hesitantly, rolling it in his fingers.

He raises his head, locking his grape gaze into Katsuki's eyes, making the blonde quivering in surprise. His gaze was filled in hate and resentment, one Bakugo couldn't understand at all and very out of character. Destabilized, he stepped down a bit, as Mineta put down his left hand on the same table.

"You're usually so full of yourself Bakugo, even down here, and now you're playing the sentimental one ? You're definitely up to something weird ! To protect Kirishima like that, by offering all of your points, that's not like you !", Mineta cried out, seemingly shaking in anger.

"What ? The hell you're on Mineta, you've seen it as everyone else did, we're stuck here, I want to save myself and my boyfriend !", he replied, keeping his wounded hand in his clothing.

"You wouldn't save anyone, you're covering him up ! You gave 4 points out of 5 ! I'm sure he's the one that killed Koda, how convenient to be the first to found the body !"

Before Kirishima nor Katsuki could intervene, Minoru smashed hard the rolling pin against his hand, screaming out in pain, until his five fingers were broken, lying in a small blood puddle.

"Now, I'm giving 5 points to Eijiro, the killer ! I can't let you roam free, you killed out classmate damn it..."

Bakugo's eyes widened, and the couple exchanged a panicked look. By giving 5 bad points, Eijiro's actual score was -1, completely annihilating the precedent's points and Katsuki's efforts. Reduced to a bloody pulpe. He wanted to slaughter Mineta here and there, so bad his fists were now white, squeezed with so much strength. But his assumptions were true. The mastermind was efficiently using the wary atmosphere shrouding them.

"Mineta, what the hell ? You're launching accusations without any proofs, you're completely out of yourself !", said a disgusted Uraraka.

"But Eijiro is suspicious... We thought him dead, yet he appeared again. Who knows if this is a clone, working and giving informations to the mastermind ?!", reluctantly approved Shoji, followed by a suspicious Tsuyu and a cautious Ojiro.

"Guys, seriously...? It's me, Ei ! I'm not working for any mastermind not anything ! I didn't killed Koda !"

Deaf to his pleas, the rolling pin arrived in Momo's hand, who decided to miss her turn, unsure of what she should believe, then landed inside Tetsu's grip. Washing away the blood soaking the table, he spread his right hand, slowly inspiring and expiring. He was torn out between believing Eijiro and believing Mineta. He comprehended Mineta's logic, even for a not so smart dude as him, but couldn't believe Eijiro would have killed someone.

But something else has been bugging him since the beginning of the day.

Slashing against his fingers, pain weakened by his quirk, managing to break three, he first pointed towards Eijiro.

"I give you 2 points. I'm not sure who's right and who isn't, but I trust you."

He then proceeded to give his third point to Bakugo then to break 2 fingers on his left hand a few seconds later. Now tilting his head to Mashirao, he solemnly stared and said.

"You've been acting weird, Ojiro. You were late this morning, that's unusual, and you immediately agreed to blame Eijiro on behalf of Mineta. I don't know much of you, but I know you're a honest and honorable person, who'd have most likely judge the situation before agreeing with Mineta. Yet, you immediately followed him, designating Eijiro as the killer, this doesn't have any sense. I'm giving you 2 left points."

Caught off guards, Ojiro's face decomposed itself, as he wasn't expecting to be named at any point. He was now the one with the lowest score. Swinging his tail, he replied back on a clear tone after a few seconds.

"What are you saying ? Ejiro is suspicious, I'm not the only one wary of him at the moment ! I've been suspecting him since he appeared again, and being late doesn't prove anything ! But do as you wish."

Tetsu shrugged him off. The unusual behavior of Ojiro caught his eye. Usually discreet, he approved Mineta's accusation without any proofs whatsoever, while he'd rather cast his judgment beforehand, so he had reasons to suspect him to be up to something. Tetsu eventually handed the rolling pin to Pony.

Pony decides to trust her unique remaining classmate's judgment to an extent, and broke two left fingers, giving them to a disappointed Ojiro. After 5 students, Ojiro had -4 and Eijiro -1, but everything was still possible.

Following was Tsuyu, this time trusting Mineta over Tetsutetsu. Banging the rolling pin with difficulty on her hand, she broke three of her right and two of her left slander fingers, giving the right to Ojiro and the left to Eijiro, changing the scores to -1 and -3. Mashirao smiled, a bit relieved, but Bakugo frowned. He believed in Eijiro's innocence, but their class was now divided with a growing gap.

The abductor's plan was successful, yet Katsuki was probably the only one who noticed this part.

The rolling pin switched hands once again. Ochaco decided to stay neutral, and handed the pin to Ojiro. To nobody's surprise, he mercilessly slammed it against his right hand after gripping it with his tail, explosing the five fingers' joints and bones. His face twisted in suffering, he rested his hand on his heart, then made sure to do the same with his left hand. The table's top was now reddish and humid, and Bakugo himself grimaced under the horrendous pain was probably going through.

"I give five points to myself, and decreases Eijiro's ones by five. He's clearly Koji's murderer.", he calmly proclaimed.

"Fucking asshole, what are you up to ?! You're nuts I swear, he's innocent ! Do you really think he would kill someone ? Shitty hair isn't that kind of person !", hastily shrieked Bakugo, who needed to be restrained by Tetsu to not jump on top of Ojiro. Mineta sighed, still thinking the blondette was pulling the emotional card.

So far, Eijiro's score was now of - 8, while Ojiro was now on the positive side with 4.

With now both hands completely aching and bleeding, Ojiro launched the pin to Denki, who catched it with a small sigh.

Denki was far from suited to solve harsh problems such as this one. On one side, Eijiro was his friend, yet he couldn't respect a murderer if he was the culprit, and Kiri was oddly calm.

Carefully spreading his fingers on the table, he observed them, calculating how painful it'd be.

"Well, goodbye dear fingers. My quirk's gonna have problems to work.."

Crushing his right hand under the pin and 3 fingers, he adressed a saddened and very apologetic look to Eijiro, and gave the points to a smirking Ojiro, who was now reaching 7. Bakugo's heart skipped a bit, as he sat on a chair behind him. Was the abductor really that powerful, even changing the opinions two close people would have one of another ? This was truly hopeless...

But Denki didn't break any left finger, thus keeping Eijiro's score at -4, and instead delivered the pin directly to Kiri, standing next to the falling blonde.

Eijiro knew damn well he wasn't the killer, he even found the body with Kyoka this morning, yet bringing this detail to the light would only favor Ojiro's side more. So he kept his mouth tight shut, and without any surprise, destroyed his five right fingers for himself, and the five left for Ojiro, bringing back the scores to 1 for him and 2 to Mashirao, now less confident, staring at him. His quirk lessened the pain, but he was calm for a reason.

He realized how hopeless their situation was. Not in the same way as Bakugo did, but rather comprehending that fulfilling one order only meant to be certain to stay alive for a single day. Not much. The death was lurking behind every corner, even if they won that day, tomorrow could offer a very different outcome. Is that life worth it ?

Now, Rikido grabbed the pin, but followed Momo and Ochaco's decision to remain neutral. Now, were only left Shoji and Kyoka. One supported Ojiro and one Eijiro. Their votes would be canceling each other, hence leading to Kirishima's inevitable death, by either Bakugo or Ojiro's hand. When he grasped that harsh reality, Katsuki's heart stopped.

Was it really going to end this way ?

Was he really going to lose his new boyfriend in some stupid game, for a crime he hadn't committed ?

Was their mastermind that powerful ?

And moreover...

Was he truly... That hopeless, that useless ?...

_Was he going to witness his death a second time ?..._

A voice reached his ears.

"I miss my turn. I'm not sure who I should trust anymore, and I don't want to risk killing an bystander.", simply said Mezo on a very sober tone, handing the pin to Kyoka, leaving the group's futur hanging in her balance.

Kyoka slowly rolled the ustensil between her fingertips, feeling the fresh blood underneath her skin. She stared at the calm, lost in thoughts, seemingly resigned Eijiro, and then at the slightly smirking Ojiro. Deep inside her soul, the choice was obvious.

Lifing the pin, she gently first put her left hand on the table, before crushing two fingers with a few small blows, before alternating with the last hand, end of the game, her right. The victim has been decided, but shall be the killer ? Who shall be the reaper ?

She crushed one, panting over the radiating pain, and raised her head from the table, slowly watching over her classmates.

"I give two left points to Ojiro, and one to Bakugo."

The room went silent, as if time itself has stopped its run across space. And Bakugo's heart restarted, filling his cheeks with this blood. Ojiro now has the lowest score with 0, Eijiro had 1 and Bakugo 3. Everything changed at the last second, thanks to Kyoka's decision. Touched, Bakugo jumped from his chair into Eijiro's arms, squeezing him tight against this chest. Both were flooding their faces in tears.

He was breaking character, but a few seconds would be okay. Whereas Ojiro's was now stupidly looking at the rolling pin sitting on the table. He had lost. He was going to be executed, by Bakugo himself, the one that he tried to fool by accusing Eijiro.

Interrupting those results, the TV powered on in its distinct sound, offering the same buzzing screen and obnoxious voice as ever. The abductor spoke up.

"Well well, I wasn't expecting things to work out like this, this book was truly inspiring. Now, yes, Ojiro Mashirao was the one that killed Koji Koda this night.", he declared.

"I thought... I thought that he was working for the mastermind, he rarely left his room and never allowed anyone inside... I thought he was suspect, so I killed him, hoping to find some information in his room. Only fucking kittens posters...", Ojiro confessed, looking at the ground, now putting away his act.

" Of course, nobody is working for me inside your group ! Today's murder was unexpected, but I could improvise this little game with this tension. I had so much fun, observing you up here ! Anyways, now, Bakugo Katsuki must kill him."

_"Kill him."_

Those words resonated inside Bakugo's mind, still hugging Eijiro tight. His mind... Those words, this situation ..

"I'm not a killer. He framed your boyfriend. I can't do that ! He deserves it ! Oh fuck, I can't kill a classmate...! End him, right here, right now !"...

"Oh, shut up won't you ?! Shut up, shut the fuck up, leave me alone, leave me the fuck alone."...

"Bakugo, stop this ! Stop, please !"...

Bakugo's was brought back to reality by the stupor's screams of several voices, shouting in his ears, while someone was pulling him away. It was all fuzzy...

And then, he smelled it. This odor, so recognizable, so unique. The one that will never leave your soul, now tainted forever.

The smell of burnt flesh. The smell of that body with the charred face in front of you.

_The smell of death._

_Day 9_

_Alive : 12_

_Escaped : 1_

_Deaths : 13_


	13. Day 9 bis

Everything was still fuzzy around Bakugo, still being pulled away by a pair of strong metallic arms, covered in a thin black powder, scattered across the skin. He didn't even realized he was still provoking numerous small explosions around him in his confused and emotionally high state, which forced Tetsu to activate his quirk in order to properly restrain the blonde. Still surrounded by screams and shouts, Katsuki managed to see the consequences of his sudden, although caused by the malevolent mastermind. He caught a first glimpse, but now he could see Ojiro's lifeless body on the ground, smoke raising from what was once his face, now reduced to a charred and burned patchwork of smoking flesh. He died on the spot.

"Holy shit Bakugo, what have you done ? You killed him... On the freaking spot, within a few seconds !", lamented Mineta, visibly horrified of the boy's action.

"It all happened so quickly... Oh my god, he's dead, he really is...", muttered Kyoka under her breath.

Even if Ojiro had killed one of their classmates, it was obvious he didn't do such an action with the desire to bring harm among the survivors, instead he wished to save them by getting informations he thought Koda posessed.

"Bahahaha, it was wonderful ! You really surprised me there Katsuki, I wouldn't have thought you'd kill him so promptly, the second I ordered you to do so ! You've been a good dog Katsuki, grab your points, you earned them, bloody killer ! Or, should I rather say, King Explosion Murder !"

Upon hearing the name Katsuki once wanted to pick as his hero name, the whole class quivered, utterly surprised and terrified eyes gazing at the screen. Since this alias was rejected by Midnight that day, this information never left the classroom, thus nobody outside 1-A knew about it. But the fact this abductor knew about this piece of information could only meant he was somebody the survivors were familiar with, and this possibility was terrifying. Bakugo himself was glaring at the buzzing screen in horror, now extremely aware.

"What's with the face ? Are you surprised I know Bakugo's hero alias maybe ? Kehehe, you should. Damn, your faces are priceless I swear ! I love those horrified and hopeless expressions ! Now now, enjoy the rest of the day, don't mind the bodies though !", concluded the sick man with a virtual bow.

And the screen powered off, now projecting its ominous blackness on the students, staring at each other or the concrete walls in despair. Once again, they didn't know what they should do. Their number was decreasing by each passing day, as if they were nothing but mere bugs, crushed under the mastermind's merciless heel. After nine days in this living hell, only 12 students were still alive and not so well, their minds greatly affected by the events they all witnessed. Blood, deaths, mutilations and crushed hopes were only a part of their horror as a whole. And they still didn't know the mystery behind this empty army bunker, the few vestiges left behind by the previous inhabitants and the cryogenisation pamphlets. They were stuck in a deadlock.

"So, what should we do now ? We're not going to stay in the refectory looking at each other all day long, are we ?", eventually said a dejected Ochaco.

"We won't, of course. But the events are far too recents to think about something else, Koda and Ojiro's bodies are still lying on the ground and warms...", replied a concerned Momo.

"I don't know. I'd rather not touch the corpses... Before today they were eventually taken away to some location, by the abductor I guess, but seems like he's going to let them decomposing here for a few more hours.", suggested Tsuyu, disgusted and glacing at a smoking Ojiro.

"I think we should just avoid the refectory for now. Let's search again for some clues ? It's the only action we can do, to try to understand our situation better, why we're here and so on. We looked into every room and eached the last floor, but we might have overlooked something.", responded Mezo.

Without any objections, the survivors scattered across the floors, into every room they could enter into, even the most obvious ones like the gymnasium. As expected, Kirishima teamed up with Katsuki, still feeling awful about his deed. He murdered someone, a classmate, with his own hands and quirk. In the end, he wasn't any better than a villain, his impulsive and fierce personality would only lead him to trouble, exactly like he was a little kid. Was he wiser, Bakugo might have reflected on the mastermind's execution order, maybe even if it meant to see his head rolling on the floor. After a few minutes of looking around the gymnasium dimmed with impressive spotlights, Kirishima woefully sighed and tilted his head towards his boyfriend.

"Bakugo, what's on your mind ? You're still thinking about Ojiro, I guess..."

"Uh ? Yeah, of course this is still on my mind shitty hair. I killed someone, me, a hero in training. I have the blood of a person on my hands, do you really expected me to act as if nothing happened ?", he answered. Katsuki wasn't even angry, only morose.

"Don't blame yourself Kat, please, you had a breakdown, we all did at some point down here..."

"I can't accept that fact, and justify this murder simply because I was worried about you, idiot ! I bashed Ojiro's skull with an explosion for fuck's sake ! He's dead, fucking smoking on the tiles ! And I'm the one who killed him...", Bakugo cried out, sitting on the floor, feeling the tears flooding his eyes, before starting to sob.

Kirishima felt greatly awful, witnessing the blonde truly breaking down in tears before him. Katsuki wasn't one to express his feelings, he knew this part too well. He was probably feeling useless again, and even worse, an obstacle to their escape that might kill one of them at some point. Leaving the box he was holding on the ground, Kirishima rushed towards Bakugo, starting to weep at his turn, and kneeled down, before wrapping both arms around him and hugging him in a tight embrace. Katsuki rested his head on the redhead's shoulder, still crying, noises muffled.

"I swear Katsuki, you're doing great ! It's fine, really, if you hadn't followed his order you would have died ! And I can't live with his thought, not anymore...! I don't want to lose you Bakugo, I fucking don't want this !", almost screamed Eijiro in the blonde's ears.

"But I killed him Ei ! It's a bloody murder I commited, don't you get it ? I can't forgive myself after ending someone's life, I'm supposed to be a hero ! But what kind of hero would kill a bystander, uh ?! Tell me Ei, tell me ! Tell me I can't be a hero and that I'm truly hopeless, do it !"

"You're a hero already Kat, really ! You're my fucking hero, please understand it ! You were here for me at my lowest, let me return the favor idiot ! You saved me, and you'll save many more I swear Katsuki ! You're far from being useless !...", he yelled, sinking his face deeper into Katsuki's neck.

When he heard this ultimate encouragement, Katsuki lightly rose his shaking head from Eijiro's chest, showing crimson eyes filled in tears, pouring down on his cheeks, twisted by an extreme feeling of sadness, while his mouth showed gripped teeth. He tightened his grip on Eijiro's shoulders.

"You really mean it ... ? Of course you do, of course... I'm your hero, you said it. I like that idea, I really do...", he whispered, voice still broken.

"I like this thing too... You're my hero Katsuki, so let me be yours as well, please... I'll dry your tears away, I don't want to lose you. I promised we'll get out together...", Kirishima gently muttered, stroking his lover's cheek with the palm of the hand.

Bakugo calmed down a little, eased by Eijiro's comfort. It almost seemed like time itself has stopped in the room, frezzing his worries and bringing relief in his mind. But he could hear his lover's heart beating, a gentle and soft continuous noise appeasing his soul, a truly divine, exquisite melody. For a brief moment, their situation flew away, bringing in its wrath anxiety, gloom and woe, leaving only comfort and support on this stage, lightened by love's spotlight. Silently, Katsuki reposed his forehead against Eijiro's, and quietly murmured :

"Can we stay here... a little longer… ?"

* * *

A few floors higher, Tsuyu paired with Mezo to investigate the garden hourse, filled with composedly arranged rows of growing plants. Tsuyu knew they hadn't entered this room since Denki and Tetsutetsu firstly found it, days ago, and hence wasn't surprised to see the exact same setting the boys have been talking about. Tables garnished with pots, a shed in the back of the room, tools sitting here and there, such as the secateurs that saved Tetsu's life.

But on the contrary, what really caught her attention was how big the room was, even if Denki had warned her, prior their departure.

"They didn't lie when describing the room, I can't see its edges with all those plants.", remarked Mezo.

"They sure did, at least we can have some food if needed. But those plants seem weird, nobody took care of them in so long, yet they're still growing fruits and vegetables...", observed Tsuyu, curiously poking an egg plant.

"Remember, we're certain to be locked up inside a military bunker, so I wouldn't be surprised if those are not ordinary plants. Maybe genetically modified ones ?"

"Maybe, maybe... Anyways, we're not here to talk about growing crops, but to look for clues. Something Denki and Tetsu might have missed on their first visite. I'm still not sure what we are looking for in a garden house...", pondered Tsuyu, leafing through a random guide on the nearest table.

Mezo shrugged, he didn't know any better than his friend. Until now, she was a part of the silent majority, but it seems this morning's incident grew some spine inside her, to the point she directed several classmates in their searches, advising them on the places they should look into. Hence, he trusted her judgement and decided to go with her, and now he was rummaging through boxes of seeds' sachets and strange-looking tools. Whoever lived here before, they sure were important enough to own specialized gardening tools, not the kind the common citizen would own.

Shoji and Asui looked through several crates and pots, inspected the shed, dug the dirts in some places and even tried a few tools, maybe to see id they were functionnal, but they couldn't find any hints about their demise. Lightly sighing in exasperation, Asui lifted her face from an umpteenth box.

"It's useless, it seems we won't find anything useful here. I think this room was purely created in a functionnal manner, we should've rather looked inside the class and its backrooms or the game room."

"I agree, then let's not waste any time here any longer, we're down with the garden house."

But at the moment Mezo ended his sentence, both students could hear voices, somewhere around the garden room, built in a way it would conduct noises efficiently, like a theater would. But as a result, the noises could be coming from anywhere in the place, and their spokers would remain hidden for some times from somebody's else eyes.

Now, hearing voices wouldn't be unusual for the students, as their friends were searching in rooms neighboring their, but those tones of voice sounded older than high-school students. And while their exact words couldn't be comprehended by Tsuyu and Mezo, Asui had a bad feeling growing in her belly, these persons wouldn't be friendly towards them. Maybe the mastermind's minions, if he had some. Both froze in anxiousness, observing the room around them.

"Asui, you can hear them as well, right ? Even with my quirk I can't discern the details..."

"Yes, I'm hearing the same voices as you. And they're not from our classmates, I'm almost sure of that part...", she whispered, leaning closer of the gentle giant.

"What should we do ? Leave the place ? Or stay hidden here to find out who these individuals are ?", asked Mezo, a bit nervous.

"We'll hide, but if these persons are enemies, we'll make a run to the door and warn the others. We can use the shed, quick !", Tsuyu pressed.

Mezo opined and both quietly made their way towards the gardening shed, pushing through the various bags to dissimulate themselves among the shadows, only leaving a small interstice for Mezo's eye created by his quirk to see the newcomers. Everything was silent, but not peaceful. Instead, it seemed like a lead weight had fallen onto the bunker, making both students shivering despite being hidden.

"Do you think it's the mastermind ? It could be him, for all we know, pulling another trick on us.", asked Mezo.

"Unlikely, he stays hidden permanently, and even when he killed Toru and Hanta he remained in his control room, so for him to make a sudden appearance and reveal himself ? That's out of character."

"But who could it be then ? A rescue party ? Tokoyami would've managed to call for help on the outside ?"

"Maybe, I sure hope it's the police and rescuers...", hissed Tsuyu, peaking through the crack. She didn't confess her worries and the growing anxiousness she felt in her guts.

The duo waited for a more minutes in total blackness and utter silence, only piercing the quietness with their slow and jolting breaths, bodies quivering in apprehension of the upcoming meeting. And eventually, the voices became louder, to the point Mezo could grasp a few words.

"I.. know those voices ? They sound familiar, but I can't recall from where or when. Somebody is hurt... and they're looking for a way out ?"

"Maybe other students from U.A ? I can't think of anybody else we'd know about, and the majority of class B wasn't taking part on the trip."

Mezo acquiesced, and stared at the wall through the crack, right next to the shed. The voices were drawing nearer and nearer, and suddenly, a violent thud sound resonated, startling both students. Tsuyu urged Shoji to retreat his eye inside the shed, and it disappeared inside the darkness at the exact same moment a panel, in the same fashion a door would do, opened on the wall. The voices were crystal clear.

"Finally, something new ! Quick, get out before it comes back !", shouted a commanding yet wounded voice, and several indistinct shapes emerged from the opening, maybe four.

"This voice...! I definitely heard it before, I'm sure now !", realized Mezo, while the door-like panel was violently slammed against the wall. From inside the shed, Tsuyu and Shoji could only see vague and not detailled shapes, but these persons weren't teens

"Damn, it's hurting... In the shed there, maybe there's a first-aid kit ! Look inside !", hastily ordered the same voice, clearly in pain.

Mezo and Tsuyu froze on the spot, they couldn't escape. If these persons were filled with malicious intents, they were as good as dead. Unable to move an inch, paralyzed in fear, they could do nothing but stare as the doors were shut open, flooding the inside in artificial light. Mezo closed his eyes, already accepting his fate.

"Okay, I'll look into... What the fuck ?! Holy shit, what the fuck does that mean ?!", screamed the person in surprise, startled so hard they fell on their butt with eyes wide opened.

And they weren't the only surprised one.

Astonished, both U.A pupils stared at Himiko Toga, the villain Tsuyu knew so well. And behind her, Dabi holding himself against the table, arm broken and soaked in blood, grimacing in pain. Further away in the room, green skin covered in scales and scars and a cracked gas mask, reavealing a teenager's face, Spinner and Mustard. All seemed to be hurt to a degree.

"Himi... Himiko Toga ?!", Tsuyu and Mezo shouted in surprise.

"The students from U.A !?", they answered in a similar tone.

* * *

Dumbfounded would be an euphemism to describe Dabi's state of mind at this exact moment. After a run through a tunnel filled in dangers, the least thing he'd have expected would've been to meet up with U.A students on the other side, and the same thing could be said about them. The last order was to enter the tunnel, and they foolishly believed it would be the end of their calvary.

"No way... what the hell ? Why are you here ? I don't get it, this piece of shit said this tunnel was the escape route, right ?"

"Yeah, he said those exact same words when we entered yesterday ! But then, why are students from U.A here too ?!", confusedly answered Spinner.

"Let's ask them..., I need to let off some steam after what this asshole did to Twice !", angrily said Himiko, getting ahold of her knife.

"Wait, Toga ! Look at their necks !", yelled Mustard, pointing towards Mezo's collar.

And at the exact second Himiko did as he told, another scream of surprise erupted in the garden house. Bewildered, Tsuyu and Mezo realized the villains' necks were encircled with the exact same explosive collars as the ones around theirs, meaning they were the mastermind's victims as well in this situation.

"You... Okay, this is getting really weird. Tsu-chan, why the hell are you here ?", asked Toga, putting back her knife inside her pocket. Her eyes were still twinkling with suspicion, but immediate hostility had vanished. The frog girl reluctantly replied.

"We've been trapped down here, since 9 days, and been forced to go through horrible orders to stay alive. Half of us died during that time ! And those collars... will explode if we try to tamper with it or go against the mastermind's will.", she explained to eyes' widened villains.

Dabi wouldn't believe what this school girl has just said in a normal situation, but since they've been throught the exact same ordeal, the collars as a proof, he couldn't ditch the veracity of her explanation.

"So it seems we've been kidnapped by the same person and put throught the exact same game. This dude is even worse than Shigaraki, really... Argh..!", he sighed, and suddenly screamed in pain, falling to his knees, holding his painful and bloody arm against his chest.

"Damn, damn... That shit is probably infected … ! He's going to die if we don't anything !", grunted Spinner, already searching again for a first-aid kit in the boxers nearby.

Contemplating the villain in pain suddenly called Mezo and Tsuyu back to reality, pulling them out of their still lasting astonishment. Maybe he was a villain, but they couldn't let someone die before their very eyes. In one movement, Tsuyu grabbed the kit from a shelf in the shed, ironically Toga was on the right path, and ran towards Dabi, zipping it open.

"There, let me see, I remember a few things from classes. Mezo, warn the others, now !", she said.

Dabi didn't think twice and handed his wounded arm, as the giant student walked past the villains, hurrying around their hurt comrade, and he left the garden house, entering into the darkened hallway, now running to find their friends.

The situation was far from being solved, and even became weirder by the villains' surprise arrival, victims as well. Whoever this abductor was, he was powerful enough to even bring the league of villains on its knees.

_But did villain and hero still meant a thing down here, when death was the true opponent ?_

_Day 9_

_Dead : 13_

_Escaped : 1_

_Alive : 16_


	14. Day 10

« The league now ? And to think I was sure we'd have seen everything since the first day, guess I was wrong...", sighed Kyoka leaning against the wall of the garden room, followed by a collective nod of approval.

"They didn't say much words when they took a step inside the room, it seems they were as surprised as us right now.", added Mezo, still trying to assess the new situation they were put through. Another trick of the mastermind of this morbid massacre ?

Whatever the answer to this question could be, they were at least certain of one thing now. The league and their common enemies weren't behind this abduction and everything that ensued, and the mastermind was powerful enough to bring the league on its knees, killing most of its members, as Dabi told them before isolating himself with Tsuyu and his comrades in the room. Still shivering after hearing the tale he told, Kyoka pondered for a bit, trying to think about who could be behind this deadly game.

What the villain told them could make the bravest man quiver in his boots, as the ordeals they had to face were simply barbaric, to say the least. Since they refused to kill each other, the man behind the slaughter started to execute them himself. Magne was the first to die, her head swiftly blown away, Compress ended up compressed under a hydraulic press, a sick joke, Twice's entire body was cut in halves... Under the span of a few days, as they all came back to consciouness at the same time, or so it seemed to Kyoka's eyes. The league was kidnapped in the same way as the highschoolers : with a sleep inducing gas, ressembling Mustard's quirk, and awoke with the same heavy collars carrying their lives.

"And they didn't try to attack or kill you ?", questionned an astonished Eijiro, cutting through Jiro's thoughts process.

"Not at all, actually I think they were too dumbfounded about meeting with people they knew, even if we would be enemies in a normal situation, down here. Adding this to Dabi's broken arm, they didn't show any sign of hostility.", replied Mezo.

"This is very strange, I must say. Whoever or whatever thing was powerful to snap a villain's arm like a mere branch lying on the ground, I do hope we won't come across it...", stated Momo, worrying about their safety.

And she had all the rights to be worried, Dabi didn't even see what broke his arm while they were making their way out in the darkened tunnel, leading into the garden room. He only felt a sudden overwhelming pain in his limb, then blood rushing on his skin, yet with the rush of adrenaline they were in he could still run to save his life. Mustard even talked about another poisonous gas invading the corridor they were in, reminding Kyoka of painful thoughts, a few days sooner.

"Don't worry Momo, whatever the stuff they met up with inside this hallway was, I'm sure we'll be okay as long as we stay here. It's not like any of us can even go explore this part of the bunker, Mustard warned us about the gas inside. So, we're all good for now !", Kyoka said a bit cheerily, wishing to reassure Momo's anxiousness.

To her hidden delight, the maiden's face was illuminated with a small and tenuous gentle smile, sighing her worries out, wich made Kyoka's blushing a little. Yaoyorozu was feeling a bit better now, thanks to her. Jiro could do anything for this passionate smile, to allow it to live a little longer, to not fade away. They had already lost so much, she didn't wish to see another light vanishing into the despair's darkness...

But the garden's glassy doors slamming open brought the girl back to reality, as the league's members exited the room. Dabi's arm was now banded, and the smaller wonds they all had were now patched up as the best Tsuyu could do inside a secret bunker. With a grave expression on the face, he turned towards the students all gathered before them, and speak in a clear yet tired tone.

"So, I already told your friend here and I'm sure you all realized it by now, but I'll repeat myself : Right now, we have no wish to harm or kill any of you, it'd be foolish. Tsuyu told me about the points the mastermind gave to some of you, but forget this, we won't attack you to get ahold of them."

"Yes, instead we should find a way to get out of here as soon as possible. I'm getting tired of this place every second I'm in.", grunted a displeased Toga.

"You know we have orders to follow each morning like you guys, do you ?, precised Denki.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that part too. We can't do much about it either, so we'll follow them until we can escape this place for good. Then, we'll all go our ways."

The crowd of teenagers nodded again, in accordance with the league's survivors. Gazing upon her classmates, Kyoka could clearly see most of them were still feeling intimidated and uneasy around the villains, but must comply and live together, at least in the current situation. Kyoka's herself was slightly irked by this forced alliance, but Mezo and Tsuyu assured they wouldn't harm anybody nor achieve mischevious actions, a firm statement Dabi reitered right now, so she decided to trust her classmate's judgement. But about Bakugo, the situation wasn't as simple.

They all knew about Bakugo's kidnapping months earlier by the League, and how much this event scarred his mind, even if Katsuki kept this information to himself and himself alone, still blaming himself for All Might retirement. So, for him to face with his agressors, and in this situation too... things could go awry in an eye's blink. Thankfully, Eijiro was here to calm his boyfriend if needed.

"So, what should we do now ? The order is beneath us...", reminded a lost Ochaco.

"We were looking for more clues about our current demise we might have overlooked in the past while we were exploring the rooms. I suggest we return to our search.", said Momo.

"Oh yes, that's true, we need to resume the investigation right now. What about you, have any of you found something that could explain what is this place and the context behind all of this ?, asked Mezo to the villains, taken by surprise by his question.

"Not really, our section seems to be way smaller than the one you're occupying as of now. But we found strange pamphlets in the chambers we slept in, now that I think about it...", suddenly exclaimed Spinner, rummaging trought his ragged pockets to pull out a small paper, similar to the ones in the classroom, before handing it to Eijiro, whom grabbed it and started reading the sentences.

"It's another paper, it kinda talks about the same stuff as the ones in the classroom, but in a more general term. It says ''Save the best hope for mankind.", but the date written on it is very recent, last month ! I don't get it, that's just weird ! ", he whined annoyed, turning the paper around in his hands.

Everyone was as confused as was Kirishima now, not understanding much about this paper. The rest of the note only told stuff similar to its title, and the students were only even more lost, this information wasn't going to help them at all. But at least, it confirmed that the main purpose of this bunker was to protect important people, most likely scientists, government officials and soldiers, hence the mention "the best hope for mankind.", but to protect from whom ? And moreover, if this bunker was built recently, why was it so old looking, filled with cowebs and dust in its corners ? One could think it was never used, but Denki and Tetsutetsu found childish drawings in the classroom during their exploration. Nothing was making sense anymore.

"Yeah, that's why we didn't try to bother and look for an explanation when we found that shit in the dormrooms. Our main goal was and is still to get out of here. But yeah, I'll concede to you that this whole situation is difficult to grasp...", shrugged Dabi with one arm.

"Then let's keep looking for clues, maybe there's rooms we haven't seen until now. This shit is getting on my nerves, the sooner we can finally get the full grasp on why we're stuck down here, the better.", concluded Katsuki, who remained silent until then.

Everybody affirmed it was the best course of actions they could do as of now, and quickly enough, small groups scattered across the bunker again, this time accompanied by the villains. Pumped up by a newborn determination that appeared after their discussion, Kyoka teamed up with Denki and headed towards the library. She will be the one that will find a way to escape or crucial informations, she owed it to Momo. She owed to that smile she cherished without knowing why.

* * *

Yet, hours later, way after the end of their day's search and even dinner, Kyoka was staring at the bare concrete ceiling in her cell, truly desperated. Nobody managed to find a single piece of information that could be useful, they combed the entire bunker several times, and Kyoka could almost swear she heard the psycho behind all of this bursting in laughs from his little control room, glaring at them trying to solve the problem they were in up to their necks.

She felt a bit useless, unable to help her classmates, unable to carry Momo out of here. And her worries were now coming back, she was actually terrified, as much as when she tought Denki's order woul lead to a certain death for the blondie. She was afraid of the unknown, of the things her mind, soul and body couldn't comprehend, and yet this uneasy and dreary feeling was overwhelming her entire being at the moment. She didn't know where they were heading to, what tomorrow could be made of in this deadly killing game. Their necks were on the line here.

But Jiro couldn't afford it, especially now. The mood was already terrible lately, and she absolutely yearned to keep her friends' hopes high as the best she could. They were on the verge of total despair, she felt it deep inside her chest, most of them only wish to resign now and let this despondecy fill them, pushing heir last hopes and joyful feelings far away, their given orders were more and more unbearable, another reason to fear tomorrow. Of course, she was far from being the only person with those statements permeating her head.

"Damn, what is this situation so absurd ? I don't get it... It's only been 10 days, but it felt like an eternity has passed since then. I could die now, in a few hours or a few days... I'm tired of surviving in this living hell, but I can't give up yet, I made a promise to myself. I sworn I'll get the fuck out of here and sing for the world, I'll be a hero ! I'll bring them hopes, dreams... ! By Momo's side, maybe... most likely, or maybe Denki's... at least I wish !", Kyoka contemplated in her sheets.

Why was she even thinking about all these trivial subjects ? Because they weren't trivial down here, anything that could lighten up the mood was always welcomed. If Jiro was to throw those meddlesome thoughts away, she'll succomb to despair or crazyness at her turn. Almost all of their previous whereabouts could lead to develop PTSD in the future.

"Now now, I should just go to sleep already, I'm sure they're all sleeping. With what today has been made of, we almost forgot we were still going to receive an order in the morning. I wonder who will die this time. Gosh, let me out of here..."

And a few hours later, morning arrived, time to rise and shine...

* * *

Awakening in the same position she fell asleep, Kyoka didn't lose anytime, and hastily dressed up with her now dirty school uniform before departing from her room to the main hall. This path was becoming badly familiar, she was sadly becoming accustomed. The exact habit you don't want to develop when you're in such a dire situation. The first dozens of minutes went by as fast as light, and the sixteen survivors gathered before the giant screen, as usual, when the breakfast was over. Maybe the abductor would talk about the villains' arrival ?

"I'm nervous, I'm getting sick to my stomach... What kind of twisted order this fucker is going to give this time ?", wondered an fed up Denki.

The TV began to illuminate the same pale light it glew each time it was on, and the very same ominous voice eurupted through the loudspeakers, madly cheerful as always, nobody could feign surprise anymore.

"Well well, hello there y'all ! I hope you liked the little reunion I improvised between the two groups, since of course I was the one behind this little trick of mine ! Forcing the league's cowards to escape their section was very entertaining to watch, I swear I pissed my pants laughing, hope you enjoyed the surprises in the corridor ! Anyways, since we're all together, like a big family, I thought I would give a very special order to celebrate the day ! By the way, you managed to survive until the tenth day, I must admit I'm pretty surprised, I thought most of you would die within 3 days ! Anyways, enjoy the special order fellas !"

And he buzzed off, leaving his audience perplexed and apprehensive. Knowing his habits, whatever the special order was, it must've been something extremely messed up. Kyoka quivered in her shoes, but Momo's gentle and graceful hand putting itself on her shoulder calmed her a little.

"I do know you are afraid Kyoka, I'm feeling the samen this special order is startling me, it might be gruesome or merciless, but we'll get through this, together, I promise !"

How ironic, the one she swore to protect was now reassuring her scared bones. But she couldn't lie, this simple sign of support was enough to ease the nervous teenager girl. Lifting her eyes from the ground, her gaze met up with the ever lasting letters crafting the new order, quicker than usual it seemed. When this macabre ballet was over, the following order was displayed on the big screen.

**"One person must kill themselves before the end of the day. Each half hour where the suicide hasn't happened yet, someone will be randomly terminated."**

A small and sinister snicker echoed in the room, and the whole setting powered itself off. A very special order indeed, welcomed by lamens of stupor.

"Tell me it's a joke. It must be a joke, right ? It can't be true, it can't..."

"Someone will die regardless of what we do ? … "

"Seems like we can't fin a way around this one, shit..."

"Everyone, calm down, let's think this thoroughly ! We won't manage to save anyone if we don't listen to each other !", tried to command Mezo, but alas nobody was listening.

Days and days of despair inducing events, coupled to total isolation in the depths of an unknown place, annihilated most logic and rational ways of thinking among the remaining survivors. Everyone thought they were going to die, and they probably were, in the most painful ways maybe. But if no decision was taken, all of their heads will roll on the floor in bloody splashes of hemoglobin. Obviously, no one wanted to sacrify themselves to save their classmates, which was invariably leading to more deaths, what one could call a vicious circle of dread.

"He's taking this thing a step higher. Someone will die, and it could be one of us as well... Shit, we can't workaround this order...", sighed Spinner, tilting his head towards Dabi, slightly behind the pupils.

"I know, now we're all in the same boat... I sure don't want to be executed by that asshole, but what do you want to do, find a solution with them ? They don't trust us, they're cautious, but can we really blame them ?", he whispered, designating with his chin the students bickering among themselves.

"No, we can't... and that sucks even more, like seriously, someone must die today !", hissed Himiko, angrily glaring at the screen.

Back in the group of teenagers, things started to become a bit calmer after the initial schock. But still, nobody could just offer their life to the mastermind to save the others. They made so much efforts these last days, yet it seems they were in vain at the end. They endured hours of psychological and physical torture, and the mastermind wasn't satisfied yet, so he urged them to kill one of their group, or he'll do it himself : that was the true meaning of this order. And for what ? Just to have some fun.

"What should we do, does somebody have an idea that could save all of us ?", asked without hopes Rikido.

"I'm not sure we'll manage to save everyone this time, he clearly crafted this special injuction so we can't bypass it by any means. I suppose he grew tired of how we almost tried to save everyone with each order...", groaned Shoji.

"So what, we'll all die if nobody is willing to make the move ? But who would even want to off themselves, tell me who ?!", declared abruptely Bakugo.

The only response that was offered was a pure, utter silence. Of course, that was to be expected. Who would be selfless enough to make such an altruist and bold move to save them all ? Maybe Midoriya or Tenya would have, but they were long gone, only memories.

"We're not going to decide this by drawing straws, are we... ?", questionned Pony, reluctant to ask.

"No, of course not, we won't...", asnwered Kyoka with a firm expression on the face.

But was she that sure of the answer she'd given ? Should they let fate decides their fates, should they rely on pure luck to stay alive ? She didn't know, in a way it was even crueler to do things this way, as the person designated most likely wouldn't want to do such a thing. Torn apart by this possibility, Jiro's heart was racing in her chest.

_Should she propose this, before the timer ran out ?_

_Day 10_

_Escaped : 1_

_Deaths : 13_

_Alive : 16_


	15. Day 10 bis

Echoing through the chamber in a soft sound, the clock's chime covered for a brief moment the anxious minds of the students gathered within it, announcing that another ten minutes had already passed since the order's display, piling on top of the ten prior. Only another session remained before one of them would be randomly executed by the mastermind.

Glaring at the clock with a hesitant gaze, Kyoka reported her attention to Denki, curled up in a ball against the wall next to her, staring at his shoes. He had already given up, clueless about how this order could result in a positive outcome, much to Jiro's displeasure, but she understood his resignation. It was simply unimaginable to think they could do anything in their power, but Kyoka still had some hopes, deep inside her. She wished for the brilliants minds of Bakugo and Momo to find a solution.

But a small sight followed by a small whine, and Denki's desperate voice rose in the air. His voice didn't even sound plaintive, only empty, deprived of tone.

"It's truly hopeless, right ? That sicko took away any possibility of a happy ending. We're all going to die here..."

"Don't give up just yet Denki, please...", Kyoka muttered as she kneelled down besides him.

"But what more can we do ? Here in the end it's just him and us, nobody can go against him without losing their head. Even Momo can't figure out what we should do, and she's the one with the brains..."

"Denki... Please, don't lose hope now. If we give up on this too, nothing would stop this psycho to take control over us. We need to have faith in ourselves, really...", tried to Jiro, but Kaminari only brushed her encouragement with his hand.

"But that's what I've done before ! I really thought nobody would try to kill each other, to murder friends, yet blood was spilled. There's no hope left. There's nothing left...", he whispered in a depressed tone.

Kyoka's heart ached when she heard those words. Denki and her have been good friends since ages ago, and she truly cared about him. Therefore, seeing her friend curled up in a ball of sadness and melancholy was certainly a painful sight to behold. Nonetheless, Jiro still tried to brighten her friend's mood.

"Listen Chargebolt, you're not alone in carrying your burden. Even at the bottom of a bottomless pit, there's still something left, me. I want to be there for you, you got it ? I want to help you, I can't leave you like this...!"

"I have faith in you.", she proclaimed in a slightly cheery tone, catching Denki off guards.

A bit startled by the sudden rush of enthusiasm of his friend, Denki seemed to realize the weight of those words. Until now, he has been feeling like they couldn't do anything anymore to escape this place, even if they somehow survived this order, but Kyoka's reinvigorating him gave to the boy enough courage to discard this outcome, at least for now.

Kyoka's light was still sailing inside his hopeless sea, but Denki will now ride along her boat. They would escape together, as long as she had faith in him while he didn't. Eyes shining again, Denki grabbed the hand Jiro extended, and was pulled up from the ground, leaving those thoughts behind. At least for now...

"Man, you truly have the high spirits Kyoka... Thanks, I think you really caught my back right now. I needed to hear that, so ... Thanks !", he said, rising a thumb up with his usual goofy smile.

Upon noticing how Denki was back to his usual self again, Kyoka couldn't help but blush a little, flustered by his demeanor, and began to mindlessly fiddle with her ear-jacks, which in return prompted the blondie to laugh his heart out, amused by her reaction. For a brief moment, they forgot where they were, and only cared about themselves. One could almost swear they were in the dorms' living room.

Back to school, were they ? They wished to. They could enjoy all of those activities and fun parties again, the ones that seemed so minor they took for granted and sometimes didn't even pay attention to. They'd sure kill to experience them again...

Restaurants, parties, cinema, fireworks ? You named it, they lingered for it. Yet unfortunately, they were out of reach, even if a sudden detonation in the darkened bunker that could remind one of a firework's explosion in the night sky made its way to Kyoka and Denki's ears, pulling the pair back to reality in a shouts and screams concerto.

Dazzled by the mess surrounding them, Kyoka's gaze traveled around the room to localize the source of this ruckus.

And she finally found why her classmates were screaming in utter horror, she joined them with horrified and widened eyes.

Lying in a pool of blood, a body clothed in what remained of a school uniform. Yet, the person whose body belonged wasn't completely dead yet, twitching violently with hands wrapped around their bloody neck. Denki shouted in terror at his turn and instinctively moved backwards, even if he was standing several meters away from the scene unfolding before their very eyes.

Violently shaking on the ground, Rikido vomited another ounce of blood, face covered in tears and crimson liquid, eyes filled in incomprehension. Next to him, a trembling Ochaco in tears as well was trying to pull up bandages around his semi-exploded neck, only for them to be soaked in blood within seconds. Every attempt to save Sato's life was futile, to say the least, the young man was doomed, his broken spine emerging from the ripped flesh.

And to crown this gloomy and macabre painting, the maniacal laugh of the mastermind covered Sato's last pleas, flooding through the loudspeakers like moisten air.

"Bahahaha, oh my goodness that one was funny as hell ! Seems like the collar malfunctioned when I pressed his button, but guess what, it's even better that way ! Should've paid more attention to the time, nitwits, now make up your mind or I'll do it again !"

This sinister statement was all the mastermind said before powering off the loudspeakers again. He reached to the students purely to mock the one that was selected to be his innocent victim. Once again, the man proved to be completely merciless and most likely psychopath.

"You fucking lunatic... What should we do now ? He just proved the order wasn't bluff !" fulminated Katsuki, looking over Rikido's dying body in shock.

"We got that part Katsuki, shut up for fuck's sake ! That's not helping !", harshly replied Minoru.

"What did you say, stupid grapeface ?"

"Stop it, now's not the time at all, so shut up, both of you ! Rikido's freaking dying right there !", angrily shouted Tetsu, holding Rikido's head between his hands, in a frivolous attempt to ease his breathing.

And for a matter of facts, soon enough Sato's twitching came to an abrupt stop, his eyes became glazed and his head limply fell back, wetting the pavement in hemoglobin. The explosion destroyed his spine, but wasn't strong enough to decapitate him, nonetheless the injury remained lethal and Rikido died in less than a minute. And they couldn't do anything but helplessly circling around him.

Rikido only died because he was unlucky, and they were his murderers. By their inaction, a new life had been cut short in a gruesome way.

It took a few minutes for Kyoka to collect her thought again, to regain the control over her body. Next to her, Denki was shaking in dismay, pupils bouncing in his orbits. To him, and any order's survivors, this ordeal was much more severe, as it reminded them they only escaped death for a short amount of time. Death always returned to claim her due.

"This is just... This is just beyond insane ! Kyoka, please tell me you have a plan, anything ! You clearly witnessed what will happen again if we don't do something !", he asked in shock and disbelief.

But Kyoka didn't know what they could do to stop the order besides carrying it on. Neither Bakugo nor Momo came up with a solution, the villains couldn't help either. But Kyoka was certain of one thing, only one thing : she couldn't handle another flying head, she couldn't cope with another corpse joining the already high pile.

Even more when the head's owner could be Denki or Momo. Just thinking about this outcome made the highschooler sick to her stomach.

But what could Jiro possibly do ? She knew too well only someone's suicide will satisfy the abductor blood lust and crave for despair. Quelling the ever growing feeling of uselessness inside her body, she turned back to Kaminari.

"I know, I got eyes just like you ! But what do you want me to do, seriously ? He really trapped us with this one, and I'm sure he will not hesitate to terminate all of us if he needs to !", she bellowed, more rudely than wished.

Immediately regretting her words, Kyoka sighed and rested her head against the concrete wall, hearing a small noise of disapproval from Kaminari. She wanted to keep hope and not succumb to the despair freshly served down here, but even her had her limits. She couldn't go against the mastermind by herself, could she ? Jiro was that much on her nerves because she cared too much about her friends, the ones she sworn she will protect at all costs. A noble ambition that was yet to be fulfilled.

Yet for what conclusion ? She couldn't protect them now, as they could be killed in that order, even if until now they managed to stay alive, unlike others that fell at the mastermind's feet, crushed under his hellish heel. Kyoka felt useless, how could she broke her promise so easily, like it was meant to be destroyed ? Her friends gave her the will to push forward towards the bunker's escape. If she was to lose them, how could she even remain alive ?

Then, a thought crossed her mind, but the most ludicrous and bold one. She actually could save them and complete the order, but a price shall be paid to the blood's god that was their abductor. The price ? Her very own life.

If Kyoka offered himself to the death's grip, the man behind their slaughter will mark the order as fulfilled, and Momo and Denki would be allowed to leave longer. She wasn't thinking straight anymore. But she was.

"Kyoka, what are you thinking ? You're awfully silent...", worried a concerned Denki behind her.

"I think I have a plan Denki, a plan that'll save everyone and that only I can accomplish... But you won't like it.", she calmly replied. Her mind had already taken its decision. If her death meant for her friends to live longer, then she will eagerly accept her duty of martyrdom.

"I'm going to sacrifice myself for the game. I can save you that way..."

At first, Denki didn't react, jaw and eyes widened by the information he had just apprehended. Though as soon as he grasped what Kyoka meant, he leaned onto her and firmly grabbed her shoulders, squeezing them under his embrace. He was shaken, it was to be expected. A few tears poured down his cheeks.

"No... Please no, don't do this... Please Kyoka, there must be another way, but don't sacrifice yourself... Fuck, don't do it !", he silently yelled at her ear.

But Denki was already aware one of them was required to die to stop the killing spree that bad begun, he wasn't that stupid. He just refused to acknowledge it, he just refused to lose his dear friend.

"I'm sorry Denki, I wish there was another way... But please, have faith in me. Trust me. I'll save you, no matter what Chargebolt, I'm here for you, don't you remember ?", she whispered back.

On normal circumstances, Kyoka would've never resorted to ending someone's life, let alone her own. But as it had been said before, their situation was far from what one could call "normal". She wouldn't have the strength to carry this act, but now her friends were giving her the will to push forward. To push forward towards the bunker's escape. She will just be unable to see it.

"I remember... But that's just too far, please don't do this... I can't ... Fuck, please...", he began to cry on her shoulder.

"Please Denki, have faith in me... I'm still here, here for you, here for my friends. I'm doing this because I care so much about you... So much that I want you to stay alive Chargebolt. I'm sorry.", she responded, embracing him more tightly.

The event caught the attention of the others students, who began to head into their direction. Kyoka wasn't sure if they'd approve of her sacrifice, nobody down here could think straight anymore, and for all she knew, they could try to stop her.

So she bid adieu to Denki for the last time.

"I'm sorry, so sorry Denki... Please, remember me when you'll step out of this damn bunker, okay ? Perhaps we'll meet again, in another life.", she concluded with a small stroke on the blonde's wet cheek, accompanied with her usual determined grin.

Then, before even waiting for his reply, whatever it could be, she gently pushed him away and make a ran towards the storage room, located one floor above her. A run to liberty that will end up in her passing away, how ironic. As expected, her classmates bellowed in surprise, but Jiro was already out of the room, footsteps fading away.

She remember to have seen some sort of poison somewhere on the storage room's shelves, probably left here by their abductor, or maybe by the previous inhabitants. But who cared by that point ? What mattered is that enough remained to be fatal in one gulp.

Blissfully unaware of the roars behind her, Kyoka entered the room and locked the door behind her. Rummaging through the shelves, she eventually found the bottle of said poison, cyanide shining an ominous green in the dim litted room. Kyoka let out a small grin, she knew exactly what she needed to do. At least her death will be relatively painful, compared to the bunker's standards.

Holding the small bottle in her fingers, she reflected upon her decision and its consequences. Her death was needed in order to achieve the order, and they were running out of time to find another solution, nobody else will volunteer to take her place, at least so soon. But the most important part was that her death will not be meaningless. A live of a bunch of lives, the deal seemed fair enough, especially if Momo and Denki were to live longer, momentarily spared from a dreadful ending.

"Ah, how funny. I'm still unsure who's the one I love between those two idiots... The sweet one or the funny one... But those idiots will live. And I love you, both of you.", she pondered, before opening the bottle with one finger snap, almost entirely filled.

Kyoka brought the flash to her lips at the exact same moment a loud thud resonated against the door. They were to break in, most likely to save her. But she was the one that'll save everyone, each and every last one of them.

Feeling the lukewarm liquid descending into her throat, reaching her stomach, Kyoka emptied the entire flask, to prevent another murder, and silently sat on the floor against the wall, curling up in a ball of relief. Since what she ingested was cyanide, it shouldn't take longer than a couple of minutes for the poison to be effective. The thuds intensified, and Kyoka could perceive bursts of various voices behind the wood.

"Eh, sorry guys, not this time. Just please, escape this hell..."

Seconds passing by, the door was eventually bursted open, at the exact moment Kyoka's vision became blurry, and the voices only vague fractions of distant noises, breathing more and more difficult. But she didn't cared by that point. A single tear of joy exited her eye when a silhouette kneeled down before her, shaking her up, but she hardly felt anything.

The silhouette embraced her tightly, and she smiled. Because of the hug, but also because she was welcoming death's embrace with open arms. Vision quickly fading to black, Kyoka knew only a few seconds were left before her hope's light will be passed onto her friends. So, Kyoka's lips slowly moved to articulate her final message.

_"... Live on guys, for our sake..."_

And then, Kyoka's light vanished into the darkness, carried away by hopes to reach its next holder, as she breathed out for the last time.

* * *

Still holding the warm body of Kyoka's against him, Denki shivered for a reason he couldn't manage to understand, chilled to the core. Sobbing on her deceased friend's shoulder, he muttered to himself.

"Thank you Kyoka, thank you... I love you too..."

Standing behind him at the storage's room entrance, the rest of their comrades stared in disbelief and sorrow at the boy weeping his heart out. Only Kaminari knew what Kyoka and him we're talking about before she ran to the room to end her life, but they quickly understood the girl sacrificed herself to save her classmates and loved ones, hence fulfilling the order before somebody else was executed.

Unsure of what they should do, Bakugo hastily suggested that they should returned to the main hall, to confirm their daily ordeal had effectively ended up. A collective nod ensued, and one by one, the survivors quietly left the room, leaving Denki to express his grievance alone.

Or so that's what Kaminari thought, until light footsteps came back to the area, resounding in the heavy but relieved atmosphere, and someone kneeled next to him, hands on their legs. Surprised, the boy tilted his head to meet with Momo's saddened gaze. She gently spoke up, in her ever lasting elegant but now gloomy tone. It was obvious she had been crying a bit

"Kyoka was exceptional, she had such a strong will to live... A will she ended to pass it onto us. She was truly an amazing person...", she whispered.

"Yeah, that's what she told me... She did this in order to save us all, because nobody else would. She really cared about us all...", he softly replied.

Immobile, Denki suggested they should remain a little longer inside the room, to pay tribute to the one that saved them today, and Momo approved with a small nod. The room became dead silent for the following minutes, an eerie atmosphere shrouding the scene.

Yet, Momo and Denki somehow felt at ease and appeased, like a warm and loving embrace was wrapped around them. They remained still for a few minutes.

"Momo ?", eventually murmured Denki.

"Yes, Denki, I'm listening."

"I think... I think we're getting closer to the end. Yeah, we're definitely going that way."

"The end of the day ?, she asked confused.

"No, the end of this situation. I think... I think we'll escape this bunker soon. Very soon..."

_Day 10_

_Alive : 14_

_Dead : 15_

_Escaped : 1_


	16. Day 11

Soon they will be set free, soon they will escape the bunker.

Those were the words Denki told to Momo when they were standing before Kyoka's inanimated corpse in the storage room. She didn't click at the time, but hours later, will she was laying alone in her room, after a gloomy dinner and a confirmed order. What could the boy have meant with those words, which seemed to be filled with a small renascent hope ? Why did he firmly believed in his affirmation, while Kyoka died minutes ago ?

Several questions the girl couldn't find an answer, even with her quick-witted mind. Lifting her head to look at the clock hanging in the hallway, showing 1 AM, Momo eventually noticed how late she stayed up, and how much of her strength had been drained today, after witnessing two of their diminishing classmates passing away. Sighing, she rolled to her side, facing the wall.

They were now entering the eleventh day, and yet only eleven students, including Tokoyami, out of the twenty-fifth when their ordeal had begun were still alive. Fourteen precious and promising lives, mowed down by the mastermind like those were nothing but useless pawns in his grand scheme. And even if they managed to survive one day, they could be terminated the following. Nobody could ever live like this.

"Kaminari... What did you have in mind when saying we will espace this place soon...?", Momo pondered in her black sheets.

She didn't even know how she was still alive to this day. Maybe luck, maybe brains, maybe a mixture of both that backed her up against the mastermind's projects. She saw her peers dying down here, she even saw the powerful Shoto Todoroki, son of a famous pro hero, with his throat sliced up by a friend. And yet, she remained alive until now. Maybe Momo couldn't fully grasp the reasons of her survival, but she certainly wouldn't go down without a fight, were things turning this grim.

"I should just sleep already, it's not a good idea to overwork myself with this sort of thoughts."

Closing her eyes on a dark future with a shining light of hope in the distance, Yaoyorozu drifted into a dreamless sleep for the night. Without even thinking for a second that a tragic event will be happening in the morning.

* * *

A handful of hours later, the piercing voice of the abductor resonated in the bunker's cells, announcing the everlasting morning announcement at 7 AM. This announcement was particularly irritating for Mustard, far from being used to hear the daily diction. While they were stuck in their aisle of the bunker, the mastermind never played this tape.

"Oh shit, can't he just shut up already...? This is really starting to be annoying...", he grunted, rubbing his tired eyes.

After moving in with the surviving U.A's pupils, he thought things will be settling down for a moment, they were still kids after all, like him. He absolutely wasn't expecting to see new deaths that quickly, less than twenty-four hours after their arrival. Of course, he wasn't as afflicted as the students upon witnessing their classmates' demises, but observing high schoolers being reduced to shreds wasn't really the most agreeable sight, even for a villain such as him.

"This place... It's changing me, there's not point in denying it. Before those events, I wouldn't care less about murdering those kids, but now...", he thought while dressing up in his tarnished uniform, quickly glancing at his helmet on the table.

Destroyed, damaged, out of order. A large crevasse across the face, with broken glass' pieces in the eye sockets. It broke while they were escaping through the tunnel in the garden room, when something unknown crashed into his forehead in the dark. Another testimony of the madness they were going through.

Eventually leaving the room with a weary sigh, Mustard made his way towards the refectory, where his fellow fiendish friends were waiting, sitting in the corner. All were looking terrible, but Dabi was probably the most affected.

Arm bandaged and kept close to his chest with an improvised piece of cloth, Dabi simply couldn't use his arm to do anything at the moment. At least, it wasn't soaking in blood anymore. Exhausted, the villain lifted his valid hand to greet the young boy coming to meet with them.

"Mustard. How you're doing ? Getting used to your new room eh ?", he asked with a saddened smile.

"Yeah, I managed to fall asleep quickly enough. It's not that different from our cells back in the aisle. Anything about today's order ?", Mustard answered, tray of food in his hands.

"Nothing for now, but I'm sure he'll give it to us in a short moment, Tsu told me he waits for everyone to finish breakfast.", indicated Toga.

"I don't know who this man is, but he's completely sick. I mean even for a villain ! He's so disgusting, he doesn't have a single hint of empathy.", spat an angered Spinner.

Mustard slightly nodded, consenting to Shuichi's statement. At least, the League cared about its members, everyone got the back of everyone, and some where even friends, Himiko and Jin for example. Sure, they could murder without remorses, but they weren't soulless machines like this sick man seemed to be. How he laughed when Twice was cut in perfectly even halves still sent chills down Mustard's spine.

The league's remnants finished their meal with few chitchats, the mood was far from being prone to these, before joining up with the heroes in training in front of the giant hanging screen, squeezed between two sets of loudspeakers. On the way, Mustard took a quick glance over where Rikido died the day prior, only to find out what only remained was a dried pool of blood. The bodies were probably disposed during nighttime when nobody was around, he thought.

Another remarkable item in the room was the board with photographies of the students nailed on it, with most of them crossed out with a vivid red cross, the deceased ones. Four pictures of the villains have been recently added at the top, still blank. For the moment at least. Probably a way to mentally torture them, forcing them to see their dead classmates every single day, the ones that couldn't be saved.

But the same screeching voice that awoke the villains suddenly resounded in the refectory, much to Mustard's displeasure. Of course, it was the abductor.

"Well well, hi hello there ! Hope you enjoyed your little meal, wait I still don't care you fuckers ! Yesterday's order was pretty rad eh, don't you agree ? I loved it, to see your hopeless faces while I executed that sugar bastard ! And to think it's a girl that had the balls to sacrifice herself, not cool dudes, I thought you'd be a little bit more manly than that, this bitch really thought one of you would devote himself ! Anyways, enough tergiversing, let's go with today's order !"

"The asshole... talking Kyoka's down like that, I can't...", muttered Denki in ire, squeezing his fists hard enough to chase the blood away.

While the irritated student whined to himself, the letters danced on the screen in a ghastly ballet, turning around each other in what seemed like an eternity. Wishing for an easier order was futile, it almost seemed like their difficulty was increasing as the days passed

After those few seconds of pressing waiting, a new morbid order appeared on screen.

**"Survivors Tsuyu Asui, Bakugo Katsuki, Himiko Toga and Touya Todoroki must lose something they care about, or else they will be terminated."**

Immediately, a new dense atmosphere and deafening silence followed, prompted by the new load of informations that have been brought to the survivors' attention.

"Loosing something they care about ? What does that even mean ?"

"Four of us a the time ? I think he grew impatient of us surviving this long..."

"Touya Todoroki ? Shoto's brother ? I don't get it, is he locked up with us down here ?"

"I'm Touya.", simply responded the calm of Dabi behind them.

Or rather, the eldest Todoroki.

As expected, the students stared at the villain with wide opened eyes, incredulous. This affirmation would've been difficult to believe, and was prompting several questions, but it was indeed true. Dabi was Touya Todoroki since the beginning, but when Kirishima asked him to tell them more about his hidden identity, he declined, claiming this life was behind him now.

But while it was fairly obvious Shoto's friends would be surprised upon hearing the revelation, the villains themselves never knew about Dabi's true name, and learning he was the son of Endeavor certainly sparked the light of surprise in Mustard's mind.

But he couldn't blame Touya for concealing his identity to everyone he knew, who knew what Tomura would've thought about it ? Well, he was now dead hence would never know, but imagining his face twisted by stupefaction gave the villain a sour laugh. This bunker still managed to surprise him and his expectations.

"Anyways, me being Touya doesn't matter now, we need to get past this order, am I wrong ?", asked Dabi once the initial shock was over.

"Yes, we need to get rid of something we care about, or else we will be executed. I'd like to avoid this outcome.", added Tsuyu, visibly worried.

"But what would that be ? He didn't precise a thing, it could be anything !", pointed out Mineta.

"Something material, or something purely intangible. I'm sure he left this part up to debate to mess with us.", sighed a dejected Ochaco.

Mustard nodded, pensively stroking his chin. What he lacked from physical strength, he made it up in brains, being the smartest of the surviving villains, and he surely helped his fellow villains to stay alive the first days in their bunker's aisle with their own orders. Therefore, if he could save Dabi and Toga's lives, he would at least try, since he didn't know much about the selected students.

This one order was particularly left vague, maybe to increase the chances of failure. The mastermind's revelation regarding Dabi was probably made with a reason behind, a reason that would provide even more despair to the group. Loosing something they'd cared about...

And suddenly, a cold chill was sent done to Mustard's bone, as he assembled the puzzle's pieces about Dabi's order. Touya Todoroki needed to let go of something he cared about, and not Dabi. What if what he needed to forget was already gone ? What if it was his younger brother, Shoto himself ?

* * *

While Mustard was examining the villains' case, Tsuyu was extremely worried in the corner of the room, somehow comforted and reassured by Mezo and his gentle words. Unlike the others concerned by the order, or so she thought, the young woman had absolutely no idea about the thing she was supposed to let go of. Until now, she managed to remain in the background of this dreary game.

"What am I supposed to do Shoji ? I have no idea at all ! I didn't make any strong connection with anything or anyone here…", she whined, worriedly staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry Asui, I'd like to help you, but I don't know what the mastermind wants you to do in order to pass this ordeal…", spat the dejected giant. "But I'm sure we will eventually find a way to complete your order. Do you think we should ask Momo for help ?"

"No, I don't want to trouble Momo, I need to deal with the order by myself. Besides, do you remember what happened when Tenya listened to Mister Aizawa ? He died… I'm not sure we should only rely on the help of our friends, we need to think for ourselves !", explained Tsuyu, rubbing her hands one with another. If her friends come up with a bad idea, her roll will roll on the floor, hence she decided to find the solution by herself, Shoji was more offering moral support than anything else.

Tsuyu was so absorbed in her reflection that she didn't even notice the refectory was now void from any human presence, the others had probably returned to their rooms while Shoji and herself pondered in the corner. For a second, Tsuyu wondered about what the other selected persons were supposed to abandon. If she had the hint of an idea regarding Bakugo and his newfound relationship with Eijiro, Toga and Touya objects were still a complete mystery, and maybe Tsuyu prefered to not know about them either.

Mezo now leaning against the wall, watching over Asui and the room, he sighed and buried his head in his left hand. For a reason he couldn't really grasp, he was deeply concerned and anxious, and couldn't help but scrutinize the room's entrances. Maybe he thought someone would bolt out of the corridor and attach them, or maybe he was only overthinking things.

But the main concept he had learned so far inside the bunker was that nothing was ever set in stone between these walls, and the tables could turn at any given second. A quick look on the clock above one of the entrance informed him it was now 10 AM. Two hours have flown already, yet they seemed a pair of minutes to the student. Were they now losing track of time as well ?

A scream suddenly resounded across the compound, calling Tsuyu back to reality, confused and looking around her in dazzle. Mezo, likewise caught unaware, felt his heart starting to race in his chest, beating in cadence with his distraught breath. Scanning each entrance, trying to catch whatever anomaly that could've caused this scream, Mezo whispered to Tsuyu.

"Stay on guards… Something bad just happened."

Mezo cursed himself in the meantime. His gut feeling unfolded to be true, and he despised this. Shoji probably hated even more what could've prompted this uneasy feeling inside him.

"Tsu-chan, there you are ! Give me your blood please, I need it !", happily shrieked a voice the boy recognized way too well.

Motionning his head towards the closest doors, Mezo quivered when he saw Himiko Toga, a knife in her hand, soaking and sprinkling the pavement with the crimson liquid she was covered with, and a truly deranged smile across her face. Daring her gaze to Tsuyu, she bolted towards her. Petrified in fear, a fear she had experienced in the past, back to the summer school trip, Tsuyu couldn't move a single muscle and stared at death running to her.

She would've been dead for sure if Mezo didn't intervene, throwing himself between the two girls to act as a shield meat, protecting Tsuyu the best he could. He deployed his arms like wings, shielding himself from a potential blow to his vital parts. Yet, he screamed in pain when the sharpened blade slashed through his skin, drawing blood out that splashed Toga's face, blinding her for a second, but she still managed to cut through the various tissues, breaking bones and tearing fleshes.

Mezo's legs gave way beneath him and he fell on his knees, holding his injured arm against his chest in a widening pool of blood.

Raising his head in excruciating pain, the only thing Shoji could see before his vision faded to black was the bloody knife thrusting towards his forehead, held by a shaking and resolute hand. Himiko was laughing her heart out, but she sounded … fake, broken. But he didn't have the luxury to think about his more as the blade plunged into his skull, making its way to the brain.

Or so he thought. In reality, Tsuyu had jumped at her turn, aiming to kick Toga in the face with her feet. The knife ended up in her left thigh, and Asui shouted in pain at her turn, vision blurring to red upon the shock while Himiko crashed into the wall feets behind them. But Froppy didn't have any time to catch her breath as the villain ran towards her again, another pair of knives unsheathed from her belt, yelling incomprehensible gibberish Tsuyu didn't comprehend at first.

"I must do it ! Tsu-chan, I need more of your delicious blood, I need to drain your entire body ! I don't want to die here !"

Pumped up by an adrenaline rush floating in her veins, Tsuyu jumped in the air and striked Toga with her tongue right in the chest. Yet the villain managed to maintain her grip on one knife and used it to slash on Tsuyu's tongue, ripping open the fleshes on a pair of feets. The pain needed a few seconds to reach the girl's brain, but when it did, she let out a blood-curdling scream across the bunker, falling backwards with the wounded tongue flapping out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry Tsu-chan, but you're only a hero in training ! You still lack the ground experience ! Now I'll take your entire blood !", she affirmed with a determined smile.

But her eyes seemed to be filled with infinite sadness and sorrow.

She took a few steps towards the curling Asui, but suddenly, she yelled too and puked blood, tarnishing her school uniform. When she directed her gaze down, she saw a knife emerging from her chest, firmly held by the strong hand of Mezo. Realizing her mistake, to forget about him while attacking Tsuyu, she chuckled, gently wrapping her palms around Mezo's grip. A few tears poured down on her cheeks as she whispered.

"Thanks… At least it's over now…"

Then her grip suddenly stopped and her hands fell down to her legs, before dropping on her knees then the ground, the last remnants of life inhabiting her vanishing into thin air as her vision blacked out.

Himiko Toga was dead.

"What's going here, we heard screaming and …. no, don't tell me…", erupted a voice at the room's entrance the second life left Toga's body.

Lifting his head, Shoji saw Tetsu and Denki, bewildered at the scene that unfolded before their eyes. The attack only lasted less than a minute, but the consequences were dire. Himiko died, Tsuyu and Mezo were grievously wounded, and it wasn't even over.

"We found Ochaco, dead… we ran towards the first scream we heard, and it was her… Covered in stab wounds… We barely had time to react before we heard another yell again, this time in the refectory…", baffled Tetsu, hands shaking upon the stress, while Denki remained silent, in a state of shock.

Quickly, the rest of the bunker came running over to their position, and loads of screams and shouts ensued. But Shoji didn't understand them, slowly drifting into unconsciousness while being rushed to the infirmary by Momo and Tetsu, along with a limp Tsuyu.

But what he did comprehend, was the motive behind the attack. Himiko needed to lose something she cared about, and Spinner quickly mentioned the day before how much she liked Tsuyu and Ochaco, in her own twisted way. Put the pieces together, and everything made sense, she attacked them because of her order, only to be killed in the end.

The order, coupled with Twice's loss days ago, prompted Himiko to go nuts and accept her task without any protestation. But at what cost ?

_Another pair of lives reaped away._

_Day 11_

_Deaths : 17_

_Alive : 12_

_Escaped : 1_


	17. Day 11 bis

Blank. Nothing, absolutely nothing but a white light surrounding him in all visible directions, while time didn't have a meaning anymore. Plunged into his current state, lying down on the ripped mattress in the infirmary, Shoji contemplated his life for what seemed to be hours, endless hours repeating themselves in a loop. With difficulties, he recalled what happened before blacking out when he was rushed to the room. Himiko Toga sadistically murdered Ochaco and tried to do the same with Tsuyu, only to be stopped and brought to her knees by Mezo, who ultimately had to kill her to stop this madness, not before being wounded in the process.

She was emotionally unstable, was the conclusion he came up with, and the day's order, particularly mischievous, played on that part by tasking her to get rid of an object or person she cared about. In normal times, she wouldn't have resorted to direct killing in their current situation, but the hopelessness she felt after witnessing Twice's death on their own was more than enough to hit the girl directly in her sanity, hence allowing her to fulfill her order without hesitation. Or so Mezo thought.

The tears pouring down her desperate face as he delivered the fatal blow, striking deep in her chest, were telling him otherwise. Himiko never liked what she was doing and most likely only did such actions because her life was on the line. Therefore, Shoji couldn't feel any resentment or hatred towards the villain, but more to the man behind this bloody slaughter, the ever so called mastermind. The tiny pieces of information he managed to grasp before drifting out of consciousness seemed to prove his point, he heard Dabi explaining her reasons more in detail to his classmates.

For some reasons, Mezo thought him drifting in and out of consciousness was because Himiko soaked her blade with poison before ripping his arm's flesh open, thus indirectly spreading it in his blood and attacking his cognitive abilities and senses, causing his body to hallucinate a blank void around him, reaching the infinite. And he strongly prefered this possibility out of the two possible, since the other would mean he was going nuts after several days locked deep underground with murders, bodies weeping the pavement in blood and a constant despair overwhelming their brains, clouding their rational thoughts behind the mist of fear. Mezo definitely wished for the first reason.

But he also lingered for his ordeal's end. At the moment, surrounded by nothing but the emptiness, standing at the gates protecting his mind, Mezo felt a deep, real sensation of being lost facing his own fears and regrets, truly alone in the world. A very irrational feeling of isolation. Even when he regained consciousness for a few minutes before blacking out again, the room he was in was distorted in weird shapes, the sounds couldn't reach his ears. Silence, a lead weight on him. Mezo was terrified of dying here, solitary and forgotten, trapped in his own mind. How was Tsuyu handling the situation ?

He remembered the scene. Toga planted her knife in the girl's thigh, then ripped it on her stretched tongue, causing Tsu to helplessly scream in pure dolor. The injuries she sustained were as serious as Shoji's, but thankfully, it seemed she would quickly recover. For one second, Mezo believed Toga was about to cut the tongue itself with her blade to remove it, without anesthesia of course. Those franantic yet sorrowful eyes buried their way down Shoji's spirit.

"Whatever, Tsuyu will recover, it's all that matters, right ?... I saved her, I prevented her death, even if it meant I had to get my hands dirty by ending Toga's life. I should feel good, knowing I saved her but … I cannot, I really can't. My stomach… I wanna puke, it's all messed up… Gosh, all that blood…", incoherently mubled Shoji, staring into the void.

He let out a small bitter laugh escaping his masked mouth. He killed someone. Sure, in the heat of the moment and in self-defense, defending himself from Toga's craziness, but he still ended someone's life. This sole thought squeezed his inners with a cold and firm grip. Divided between guilt and relief, Mezo was at a loss. What should he believe was the correct way to feel ? Another unanswered inquest, vanishing into the void around.

"Maybe it's better if I just… sleep already. I know I'm seeing things that aren't real, I know it's just illusions… Escaping this place is an illusion, we'll all die here, sooner or later… But if that's the case, I'd like to… rest a bit before sleeping for eternity please.", Mezo thought, eventually closing his eyes as the somber veil of sleep wrapped him in his embrace.

* * *

A few floors and rooms away from the infirmary, in the middle of the refectory, Toga's lifeless body was still laying on the ground face down, eyes closed in a relieved expression, in a drying puddle of blood. Standing besides it, Momo painfully sighed and looked down. From what Tetsutetsu and Denki told her, she was the one that attacked Tsuyu and Mezo after murdering Ochaco in her room, in the nearby corridor, much to her own demise. Dabi's explanations were clear : Toga only acted that way because her sanity had reached a point of no return, and Yaoyorozu could understand that. When cornered with a death sentence with nothing left to lose, a human being is capable of anything, even sometimes to kill if it means escaping this grim verdict.

And Toga knew the risks she took when choosing to follow the easy yet sanguine path, resulting in her demise. Momo couldn't blame her after all, but her actions still offered a sinister outcome. Yet, at the moment, what was on her mind wasn't Toga's situation, but the other persons involved with the order : Touya, Tsuyu and Bakugo. So much had happened in one day… And in the end, Himiko's fate was almost enviable.

Concerning Touya, Mustard was the one who came up with the solution, thanks to his quick deduction skills and logical thinking. Dabi didn't have to do anything on that order, since he had already lost the closest person down here, his very own brother, before even meeting him. Shoto was killed several days prior by a despair driven Izuku, so he could never reunite with his villainous sibling. One could argue the new Touya had cut all ties with his family, but this was a complete lie. Deep within his heart, he wanted to reconnect with his family, and when the occasion finally arised, the mastermind pulled the rug out from under Dabi's shaking feet and destroyed everything.

Dabi didn't cry when Mustard explained everything to him. Not that he could anyways, he burned his lacrimal glands years ago, but Momo could feel he was deeply affected. The villain never lost his composure and kept his head high, but his eyes had lost their radiance and he was staring at the void mindlessly, still answering his friend when asked to. Two grievous hits within a few hours, a way for the mastermind to make sure even the most composed and withdrawn person in the group could feel despair. Touya Todoroki definitely felt such an emotion that day, but a reason Yaoyorozu couldn't grasp, he never expressed his misery. Maybe to not lower the general mood even more.

Regarding Bakugo, the thing he had to let go off wasn't the one his classmates were expecting at all. They all thought Kirishima was concerned as the selected "object", as his newfound boyfriend. Two friends who knew each other since months, who harbored feelings for one another without realizing it, engaged in a relationship which began a handful of days ago, forced to break up and walk away if they wished to live by a pernicious order given by a mysterious mastermind would've made a great story plot and plunged them both into utter sadness, but the abductor decided to push things even further.

While they were all expecting the heart-wrenching divided couple to be selected as the one thing to let go of, in reality Bakugo had to throw away a single photograph. Without context, the pain behind the event wasn't directly visible, but when Katsuki explained what the picture was, Momo felt her heart sinking down the ground below.

It was an ancient photograph, taken when the blond ashed teen was a young child, representing him with Izuku in a garden, probably his mother's. Both were playfully smiling and posing for the camera, innocent souls still friends back in the days, and the overall picture was very wholesome. But moreover, this piece of paper was the only thing left that could remind the teen about Midoriya in this bunker. It didn't seem so, but Katsuki always cared about Izuku, even after his murders and his own death. A decade old relationship wasn't one to be forgotten easily.

By ordering him to dispose of the photograph, the mastermind was basically asking Katsuki to throw away his friendship with the late Izuku into the trash can. And he had no choice but to reluctantly obey to preserve his life, to not end like Midoriya

Obviously, his pain was noticeable, heart squeezed by a cold hand and shakily fists clenched. Katsuki's ordeal was more symbolic if anything, but the grief he perceived was very present.

Finally, Asui's. Ironically, she couldn't manage to grasp what was the object she was supposed to abandon but after she was rushed to the infirmary, it became very clear to the survivors. She had to either kill Ochaco or end her friendship with her, in the same fashion as Himiko, in order to fulfill her order's conditions, as Uraraka was her closest friend still alive, after Izuku and Tenya's deaths. In the end, Tsuyu's task was unwillingly finished when Toga slayed her friend, yet the main interested party didn't know about it yet, and Tsu's reaction was predicted to be painful. Another sick twist from their clever abductor, a twist Momo would have prefered to not ever notice.

The day now coming to an end, there she was, pondering next to a cadaver inside the refectory. At least, Bakugo, Touya and Tsuyu were still alive, but the group had to pay a heavy price, two more lives have been ripped away, even the villains deserved empathy in their current situation, even the League fell to be a victim. So who exactly was the mastermind behind everything ? Who could be this man, barely known by the survivors, and what kind of power did he hold ?

Even more questions left unanswered. It has been eleven days now, so Momo had lost every hope of being rescued by heroes, the police or even the army that built this bunker. Their localization must've been pretty well hidden, deep buried into the japanese mountains. But for such a powerful organization as the government to lose a whole bunker they knew of to some lunatic psycho who kidnapped an entire class and not even try to retaliate ? The abductor must've been a man with immense powers indeed. Did Tokoyami even reach the surface when he left ? Or did the mastermind slaughter him as soon as possible ? He was supposed to come back with help, yet nothing as of today.

"Momo, are you okay ? You're kinda dozing off into space right now…", suddenly raised a voice behind her, startling the woman in her boots.

"Oh, Kaminari… Yes, I'm doing fine. I am just wondering how these events were bound to happen since the very beginning. For example, the abductor knew Shoto and Touya were brothers and would be meeting at some point. Or the orders he has given until today… For a reason I cannot comprehend, they were targeted at our weaknesses.", she confessed.

"This stuff is hurting my brain, you're never stopping are you… But yeah, when he aimed at Mineta's perversion or Tenya's morals, he clearly knew what kind of orders we were the most likely to fail, I guess… Man, it's weird, he seems to know about us.", Denki realized with a small worried pout.

"Indeed, this is the part that is concerning me the most. Maybe the individual manipulating us is someone we know since the beginning, and this possibility is highly upsetting me."

"Come on, do you really think it's possible ? That one of our classmates is secretly the mastermind ? Or one of the school's teachers ? Don't worry about that part at least, I don't really think that's possible. Yeah, never say never, but…", he responded, trying to sound determined.

"Yes, I suppose it's for the best if I do not assume this theory to be true. Anything is possible after all. But in any case, this person is animated with feelings of dread and pure evil I can't understand… He takes pleasure in our suffering.", expressed a distasteful Yaoyorozu.

Kaminari looked down, a gloomy atmosphere shrouding them both. Even him knew the mastermind was someone he wouldn't hang out with. The parts that stayed in his mind were the times this villain had the laughs of his life every single time someone died. Itsuka's suicide was the part Kaminari found the most messed up… So recent and already so old…

But for now, they needed to focus on the future. Denki knew they would escape the place soon enough and will live on. They had to. He had to, for Kyoka, the promise he had to make, no matter the cost.

"Hey Momo…"

Without really thinking twice about his gesture, Denki extended his arms around Momo's shoulders into a firm embrace and pulled her against him in a gentle hug, resting his head and closing his eyes. At first taken by surprise, she didn't know how to react, Kaminari and herself weren't especially close… But the context was special enough for her to accept the gift he was offering, and their friendship grew since this killing game had begun. So Momo raised her hands and placed them on his shoulder blades, tenderly stroking his back. Both quivered when their bodies leaned there together, forgetting their despair for a moment.

"It's agreeable… I like it, really…", she muttered, gripping over the tissue a bit more, almost silently.

"So do I, I needed a hug…", he whispered with a trembling voice, stumbling over a few words shaking in a broken tone.

And the tears began to flood their faces, drowning their cheeks and shirts in water as Denki pulled Momo closer to him, weeping in her shoulder. Why were they crying ? Several reasons, all mixing together to a point they couldn't take it anymore and broke down. The despair, the deaths, the constant fear of being executed, the pessimism slowly overcoming their hopes, the rescue party that never came… All assembled into a single heart wrenching feeling, resembling a sharp arrow piercing their hearts and causing the pain to come out in this brief and rare moment of tender emotions. All the pressure flying away in their tears.

"Kaminari, I'm so down with this place… I can't stand all of this anymore, I really can't…! We're all dying like rats, trapped without being able to do anything…"

"Same for me, I can't take it anymore… We can't do shit, it's so frustrating… They died, they all died… Kyoka, Sero, Shoto…"

Their sobs echoed down the hall in a weighing silence, resonating in their minds. Both were breaking down because they hid their pain until now, as to not kill what few hope was still lingering with them, but there was a limit to how much pain a human body could handle, whether it was psychological or physical. This bunker and its baleful game were affecting their very souls and will most certainly leave permanent damage. But they couldn't let the mastermind as the victor of this battle raging underground. Their hopes were damaged but not yet completely shattered, so they had to live while finding a way to leave.

After a few minutes, the refectory finally became silent and Kaminari stepped back from their embrace, a tenuous smile across his face.

"This is it Momo… I still think we will escape this hell soon… but before we can do that, we have to endure this torture…", he said, rubbing his hands with a dejected yet resolved expression.

"Yes, it's a sacrifice we need to go through until we're finally able to leave… So we have no choice but to accept our situation, it is the painful truth that we have to admit… I think I needed to cry for a bit, so thanks a lot Kaminari…", Yaoyorozu nodded, approving his statement.

They chatted for a few more moments to pass what little time remained until dinner hour chimed and everyone else, besides obviously Tsuyu and Mezo, entered the refectory. Momo, helped by Pony and Touya, prepared the dishes without much appetite, and everyone ate in relative silence, reduced to a mere ten persons, a dire contrast with their first meal, back to the day they awoke in their cells. Everyone, without any visible exception, looked terrible with emaciated faces, growing dark rings under their eyes and hollowed cheeks, caused by the permanent stress clothing the air. Eating while trying to ignore a dead body a few feet away from your table wasn't an easy task.

But even if they were grievously wounded by despair's bullets, they still had hope on their side, a hope they will cherish and treasure until the end, even in this bunker veiled in mysteries.

* * *

Dinner finished, the group didn't linger in the room any longer and everyone bid farewell to one another before going back to their cells, plunging the refectory once again in the darkened silence, only remained a single light in the kitchen, occupied by Tetsutetsu and Pony washing the plates and dishes. A bit jittery because of the eerie atmosphere around them, Pony striked up a conversation.

"Tetsutetsu, how are you handling it so far ? I do want to know your feelings.", she asked, cleaning a stack of plates.

"I guess I'm fine… If that word still has a meaning now. I've seen more dead bodies in a dozen of days than in my entire life. I'm afraid of course, but what can I do besides protecting myself ? Not much.", he sighed, leaning over the sink.

"I do get your feelings, Tetsutetsu, it is very hard to remain perfectly stable in this school environnement. I feel the same, I am scared a lot, and I miss our classmates. What do you think they will say when they will learn about Itsuka, Monoma and Ibara ?", she pondered, lips squeezed in a stern expression.

"They'll be shocked of course, three of our classmates were killed. Itsuka…", Tetsu stopped, clenching his fists upon remembering the unbearable vision of the decapitated girl.

Pony smiled a bit and extended her hand to rub Tetsu's backhand, reassuring him as she could.

"I do sure she would like you to continue surviving. She was a very straightforward and caring person, I know she do cared about you a lot. And I am happy the rest of our friends are still alive, somewhere out of here.", she whispered

"Yeah, they're safe… I miss them too, I really wanna know what they're thinking right now, about all of us disappearing into the wild."

"I am sure they're very worried, there is no doubt about this, we will find them again soon… Let's finish cleaning Tetsutetsu, then we will go to sleep.", she concluded, offering to the boy a very supportive smile, which he agreed to, and silence came back

Their chore done, Pony wished good night to her classmate before vanishing in the nearest corridor, heading to her room, leaving Tetsutetsu alone.

"Alright, I think I'm done here… Guess I'll just follow."

For some reason, Tetsu felt even more nervous than when Pony and him were in the kitchen, and he scanned the dim lighted room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The area seemed to be normal, minus the white sheet covering Toga in the middle. Yet, it sent a few shivers down his spine. It was too quiet.

A eerie silence…

And the shivers became suddenly a lot colder when Tetsu felt the pointy hand of a metallic blade on the side of his neck, tickling the jugular vein. Freezing in place and unable to see the aggressor, he heard a voice deprived of any sympathy towards him whispering to his ear.

"Don't move, or I'll stab. Don't even think about turning into metal, you know you won't have the time."

"... What do you want ? You're the mastermind I guess."

"Correct. And what do I want you ask ? Just some fun."

"Some fun ? What do you mean ?"

"Oh, nothing much, really… Just for you to kill Pony Tsunotori.", the mastermind chuckled.

"... You're one sick man, you know that ? Fuck you, no way I'd be doing that."

"Oh, I know you'd say something like that… Becoming the sole survivor of your class doesn't seem to be very appealing too, am I right ?"

"Sole survivor ? Shut up, the rest of our class wasn't even on the trip. They're safe, somewhere you can't target them.", spat Tetsu, still very immobile.

"Oh, you think so ? You'd better have to take a look then.~", he whispered back, before handing a tablet to his victim with his free hand.

An enlarging feeling in his guts, Tetsu grabbed the electronic device and turned it on, to find a camera feed. At first, nothing seemed to stand out, but Tetsu quickly remarked movement in the darkened room. His breathing accelerated.

"Too dark maybe ? Tap on the left, you'll turn up a light. Also, no need to scream, he can't hear you.~"

Obligated to comply, Tetsu tapped on the screen, and a vivid light illuminated a single cell, occupied by someone turning his back to the camera, curled up on a dirty mattress with broken cuffs on swollen wrists. Black spiked hair with a zigzag pattern headband…

And reality struck Tetsutetsu like an oncoming truck, as time itself seemed to come to a halt.

"_... Awase ?"_

_Day 11_

_Deaths : 17_

_Alive : 12_

_Escaped : 1_


	18. Day out

A quiet scenery, dimly illuminated by the moon casting her ominous white light on the desolate world below her feet, expanding in all directions a tired Kamakiri could project his gaze into, perched on a misshapen pile of rubbles. Acting like a sentinel in the midst of an enemy's territory, Togaru wouldn't have ever imagined he would come to do this at one point in his existence, but at the moment they couldn't afford to be careless.

After several minutes of silent watching, a voice shouted at him, calling him back to their bonfire, settled for the night, maybe even the following. Relieved to hear the familiar tone, pulling him out of his worries, Kamakiri jumped from his improvised platform, slightly grinning.

"Nothing to see right now, it's all calm, we should be fine.", he assured as he stepped into the dancing light.

"Excellent, we can settle here for a couple of days then I think, you've been playing the sentry for the entire evening. Thanks for you cooperation as always Kamakiri !", replied the jovial and round man sitting nearby, nodding.

Still shaking, whether it was because of the coldness or anguish crossing his mind, Tokoyami carefully rubbed his hands together, warming them before the flammes, and tilted his head towards the hero.

"I cannot be more grateful than now. I know I've already said so several times prior, but hadn't I ran into you back then, I would probably be dead as of now. I wouldn't have made it far without anything, and my bag can only carry that much…", he breathed out, staring at the fire again.

"It's normal to help whoever might need it, even in those troubled times… Besides, finally meeting up with one of the missing students was more than welcome. Too sad we can't reach your family.", replied the man, slightly sighing.

Dejected but still reassured, Fatgum grabbed a can from a nearby backpack, filled with various kinds of dishes, of course all tightly canned, and handed it to Tokoyami, who picked it with a small thankful nod. Proceeding to do the same for the two other teenagers sitting in front of him before eventually cracking his own open, they all started to eat in a weighing silence, trying to stay focused on their already cooling meal. But Fumikage had his mind someplace else.

He still couldn't believe how lucky he had been to encounter Fatgum and the three students accompanying him, students whom Tokoyami recognized from class B : Kamakiri, Honenuki and Tokage, a pair of days after leaving the bunker and running out of the paltry supplies he had in his bag. But still, upon learning the truth about the outside world, Fumikage would've prefered to stay underground.

At first, he didn't understand why everything was so silent when he emerged from the cave preceding the bunker's entrance, nor why he couldn't see a single light in the darkened horizon. Everything was quiet, black and dead. Maybe he could've been in a rural area, but the skylines' silhouettes, the ones devoid from any sort of lightning which stood out in the crepuscule, slowly but surely turning to dark and sinister forms, told him he was at least near a populated town.

Upon reaching the town's outskirts, the confusion only grew further when Tokoyami noticed broken windows and burned cars scattered across the streets, all while he didn't encounter a single person. Yet, he was almost sure someone, or something, was stalking him, concealing in the shadows and chuckling at his dazzle. Progressing further into the city, even more hidden scenes of disasters emerged from the abyss, sprinkling Fumikage's entire vision field in every corner. Dried blood on the walls, run-down buildings, and even bullets marks every now and then. Was this chaos the result of a villain's actions, a powerful villain that could take down an entire city ?

A few steps, resonating in the quiet yet tense atmosphere, made the teenager shackling in his boots, prompting him to turn around and face whatever the source of those steps could be. And when he made eye contact with the source, he freezed on the spot, completely taken by surprise by what he was facing.

In front of him, two citizens with menacing looks on their faces, grown hollow by hunger and stress, eyes lined with giant and somber eye bags and clothes visibly ripped and covered in dirt. One was aiming a gun at him, while the other had lightened his palms with fireballs, probably his quirk, also directing them towards the young man, who didn't know how to react, until the gun wielding man spoke up, startling an uneasy Tokoyami.

"Your bag, hand it over. There's food inside, right ? So give it to us, and quicker than that.", he demanded, shaking his gun under the stress.

"Yeah, be cool man we're starving, we haven't eaten in days, be kind. We don't wanna trouble, just hand the bag over.", added his companion, clenching his fists.

"... What the hell are you saying ? I don't understand what's happening, I don't even have food on me-"

"Liar, fucking liar ! Daisuke, grab the bag, he must be lying ! He must have some food on him, cans or whatever, I don't care ! Get the bag !", crazily shouted the gunman, aiming right at Tokoyami's chest.

"I don't have anything of value on me ! Now stand back or I'll be forced to use my quirk on you !", replied Fumikage, already preparing himself to summon Dark Shadow. He didn't understand a single piece of what was going on, but he would certainly not ignore a potential threat.

"Man, I don't think it's a good idea to try to use force with him, he seems like a capable dude. We should-", started the second man, seemingly afraid of Tokoyami, only to be cut short by his friend.

"Shut up, you idiot ! I need that food, I crave that food ! If this asshole doesn't want to give it to us, I'll just shoot a few bullets to his chest then retrieve the food !", he screamed, pulling a finger on the trigger, veins filled with adrenaline.

The next few seconds were blurry for the most part to Toko's mind, but he recalled the earth suddenly moving around, almost forming waves, forcing the gunman to let loose on his pistol, then a pair of figures jumping between him and the enemies, one with blades growing out of their skin, the other with a body covered in shiny green scales, suddenly engaging them in melee, before blacking out, his head hit in the back with something heavy.

When Fumikage's consciousness came back, he was laying down on a dirty mattress, feeling a spring carving its way between his shoulder blades, but he was alive. For a moment, he thought he could die there, in the middle of a decayed town threatened by two unknown men, but he was perfectly fine, excluding the lasting headache in the back of the head. Sitting straight and scanning the room, he quickly noticed the four silhouettes in the room, one watching by the window while the other three were discussing, near the room's center. Were they the ones who saved him ?

"Look, he's awake. Welcome back, sleepyhead, really thought they harmed you back there.", raised a voice directed to him.

Tilting his head to his interlocutor, Toko's eyes widened when he recognized the person he was talking to. Parchment colored skin, beige hair and a very prominent smile.

"Ju.. Juzo ? Juzo Honenuki ? Is that really you ?"

"Indeed, the one and only ! Who else could it be with those teeth anyways, right ? Fat, he's awake !"

"Oh, is he ? Excellent, that's one less thing to worry about, how is he doing ?", asked the person by the window, turning back to them, Tokoyami immediately recognized the so-called Fatgum, the hero that took Kirishima in his agency.

"He seems to be fine, more confused than anything. I think he has a lot of questions.", replied the only girl, ripping off a few lasting scales, Setsuna Tokage.

"Same with us, we have a lot to ask of him;", precised he last one, green neonish hair and a very unique shape to his face, Togaru Kamakiri. Still grumpy.

"Now, now, no need to rush him kids, I think he still needs to recover for a moment. He probably recognized us, and that sole information is a lot to take into account, especially in our current condition. He has lived through events we don't know anything of.", calmed Fatgum, walking towards the convalescent with a plate of small sweets.

He couldn't be more right, Tokoyami was now completely at loss. Why was he meeting with those familiar faces in the middle of nowhere ? Why was the environment so decayed and destroyed, to the point random strangers were ready to murder him for food he didn't even had ? Many questions that wouldn't be answered for the moment, as he couldn't resist but snatch the plate from Taishiro's hands and empty it within seconds, making the gentle giant chuckle.

After this little treat he really needed, Fatgum made everyone sat down for a minute, and all the interrogations burning Fumikage's lips could eventually be answered. To his greatest horror, he learned the truth, the truth on what the world had become.

Basically, the world has ended, not too long after their disappearance and kidnapping a little more than a year ago.

Nobody knew exactly why nor the details of this impromptu apocalypse, but Fatgum tried to explain the best he could. After an entire class mysteriously vanished into thin air, the public's eyes looked down on U.A high, and the government forced the school to close its doors while investigations were being conducted for an unknown amount of time. The remaining students were forced to attend school in a regular, absolutely not secured building, much to its later demise.

At one point, Musatafu was attacked by several villains with extremely powerful quirks, easily overpowering the strongest heroes. Several bit the dust that day, including famous ones such as , Endeavor and Edgeshot. In the heat of the battle, the students were confined in the building, guarded by a handful of pro heroes like Fatgum and forbidden to engage into combat by their teachers.

The school was eventually attacked by a pair of criminals, one diffusing a sleepy pink mist in the air. While battling with them, Fatgum was pushed back to his limits and knocked unconscious, leaving the teenagers unable to protect themselves against the threats.

When Taishiro regained consciousness, it was too late. Silence, all around him, not a single noise could be heard and a dusty mist covered the premises. The city had been destroyed in hours. Looking through the ruins of the improvised school, a panicked hero found several fresh students bodies, some horribly mutilated, scarring him for life, but eventually discovered the entirety of class 1-B had disappeared, besides Togaru, Setsuna and Juzo, hiding in utter terror in a closet. The scheme had been repeated.

Since that day, Fatgum protected the three rescapees and accompanied them in their struggle to survive. It didn't take long to realize Musutafu had just been nothing but the preamble. In less than a month, society crumbled down, crushed under disorder's foot, on an international level. Fatgum heard nukes had been dropped across the lands and every government had been destroyed in a global war. The details remained unknown, the reason why the world had come to an end so quickly was still a complete mystery. They never even encountered those villains again.

"And now, we're still looking for their classmates, since I'm convinced they're still alive and locked down by the same man that kidnapped your class."; concluded a grim Fatgum, staring at the ground in disbelief. Scarred for life, he just couldn't show it.

"... So in short, nothing exists anymore ? It's just… us ? And we spent an entire year in that bunker ? But only a few hours passed between our abduction and our awakening… I don't get it.", pleaded Tokoyami.

An entire year missing from their memories ? That seemed to be taken straight from a video game, but it was the undeniable truth. Fatgum was right, the mastermind behind their demise probably captured class B as well; but they couldn't do anything. And it was now Tokoyami's turn to explain what happened those last few days.

"I don't remember anything about this year erased from our memories, but we've been trapped inside a military bunker. The abductor, the mastermind… He put us through a game of life and death, If we didn't obey, execution was on the way. Some of us even killed their friends… He played with our emotions, our feelings. It was torture !", cried out Fumikage in a raspy voice, gripping the sheets in his hands as tears poured down his cheeks.

Silence again, and incredulous faces. Horrified, puzzled and shocked faces, all those emotions painted on four different faces at the exact same moment when they comprehended the true nature of what Fumikage had to endure. Which one was the worst event to experience ? They were probably on the same level of sadism, the most basic human rights stomped on by chaos' heels.

"Torture…? Murder…? Execution…? No way, you can't be right, it's not possible. Nobody is that twisted, nobody can be…", murmured Juzo, holding himself against the wall.

"But… How did you escape ? You mentioned points after completing an order earlier, did that happen ? This is some sick shit…", spat an overwhelmed Togaru.

"I had to kill… Aizawa offered his life, if nobody died half of us would've been executed, so he decided… to do this, to allow us to live. I just hope they're still all alive down there…"

"You did what ? Oh for fuck's sake it's not possible. Forced murder, this is bullshit, what's wrong with this dude ?", enraged Kamakiri after a few seconds of the most heart-breaking silence today, punching the wall in denial.

"... You did what he asked you to do, you carried on with your mission, and saved your classmates' lives. This is so like Aizawa, he cared a lot about his students… I don't hold any resentment towards you kid, you didn't have the choice…", tried to reassure Fatgum, but his voice was clearly shattered into the tiniest pieces.

But even if the pro-hero didn't mind and totally understood Fumikage's action, along with the three teenagers, Tokoyami was still blaming himself. Aizawa wanted them to live on, but who knew what could've happened in the bunker since his escape ? Maybe they were all dead already, any help would be futile. Maybe the mastermind didn't mind him leaving, simply because he could be delighted by this one's despair and sadness when understanding the truth hidden behind the bunker's walls, where the rescue party wouldn't come?

It was really hopeless in the end. Even if Tokoyami knew where the bunker was, he couldn't go back, the trapdoor sealed itself automatically when he stepped outside. Even if he encountered help and friendly faces up here, what could they do ? Classmates being held hostages, trying to force their way in could result in a massacre of the last survivors, if they were any. And they were only a few, and only one pro hero, wounded on top of that.

And if even Endeavor was slayed by those villains, somehow sharing a connection with the mastermind, what could they even try without being slaughtered on the spot ? What happened to the other heroes ?

"Fatgum… who else survived Musutafu ? Hawks, U.A teachers, the Wild pussycats, All Might ? Anyone ?", reluctantly inquired Tsukuyomi.

"Well, I don't know… Most of them vanished in the attack or right after, I don't even know what happened to Tamaki and his friends…. All Might has been missing ever since the disappearance of class A, and Hawks… He died with Endeavor, trying to protect him. And if some of my colleagues are still alive, I don't have a single clue about their upcoming. I'm sorry…", listed Fatgum on his gloved hands, sighing in pain.

"Sir, what about Tartarus ? Some of them might have retreated back there, it's far from everything and they're living in relative autarky.", suddenly suggested Setsuna.

"The prison ? There's still criminals inside… Oh shoot, I hope whoever is still dwelling there, if any, managed to control those villains.", pondered Fatgum, thinking about her proposition.

While meeting again with Moonfish, All for One, Stain and an armless Overhaul wasn't the most pleasant thing that could happen to Fumikage, he understood the remote prison facility could be a place where surviving heroes have retreated and currently reside within. Maybe not the nearest, but their most tangible path to follow to try to rescue the students underground.

"I think it's still our best possibility Sir. If we reach the prison, we might be able to send a rescue party to the bunker, quickly enough to take the mastermind by surprise and save our friends, class A and maybe class B alike."

"You're right Setsuna, I'll consider it. But for now, we should eat. To distract ourselves, at least…", concluded the IMC hero, trying to break the ice and warm the atmosphere.

He had sworn to protect them, right ? He'd hold his promise until the very end.

"Tokoyami, you're daydreaming again ? ", suddenly resounded a voice, pulling the said boy back to reality.

Staring at him, Juzo was holding his opened can of beans, goofily grinning at him from across the bonfire, catching the attention of everyone scattered around.

"Oh ? Sorry, I was just thinking about something else…", he replied, a bit flustered.

Juzo laughed it off, accompanied by his companions, and eventually Fumikage cracked a smile. They were still heading to the prison, a week or so later, slowly but surely making their way to the North, longing the coastline. A distant hope for sure, but one hope that still could be grasped.

Will they reach it, that was still up to see. But Tokoyami would certainly try his best to achieve their objective, to stop the killing underground before it was too late. He wasn't the type to go down without a fight.

* * *

"So, Tetsutetsu, made your choice yet ? Will you kill Pony to save your classmates ? They're all in my hands, a simple push... "

Still staring at Awase curled up in a ball on his mattress, wrists swollen by broken cuffs, Tetsu felt a cold shiver running down his spine. Should he do such a thing, sacrifice one person for the group ? Tokoyami had done the same before him after all. But Pony trusted him, enough to follow him willingly in that damned bunker…

One life against fifteen...

"... Yes, I know what to do.. If it can help to save a few more lives..."

_" Then I'll do it."_

_Day 11_

_Deaths : 17_

_Alive : 12_

_Escaped : 1_


	19. Day 12

A quiet scenery, dimly illuminated by the moon casting her ominous white light on the desolate world below her feet, expanding in all directions a tired Kamakiri could project his gaze into, perched on a misshapen pile of rubbles. Acting like a sentinel in the midst of an enemy's territory, Togaru wouldn't have ever imagined he would come to do this at one point in his existence, but at the moment they couldn't afford to be careless.

After several minutes of silent watching, a voice shouted at him, calling him back to their bonfire, settled for the night, maybe even the following. Relieved to hear the familiar tone, pulling him out of his worries, Kamakiri jumped from his improvised platform, slightly grinning.

"Nothing to see right now, it's all calm, we should be fine.", he assured as he stepped into the dancing light.

"Excellent, we can settle here for a couple of days then I think, you've been playing the sentry for the entire evening. Thanks for you cooperation as always Kamakiri !", replied the jovial and round man sitting nearby, nodding.

Still shaking, whether it was because of the coldness or anguish crossing his mind, Tokoyami carefully rubbed his hands together, warming them before the flammes, and tilted his head towards the hero.

"I cannot be more grateful than now. I know I've already said so several times prior, but hadn't I ran into you back then, I would probably be dead as of now. I wouldn't have made it far without anything, and my bag can only carry that much…", he breathed out, staring at the fire again.

"It's normal to help whoever might need it, even in those troubled times… Besides, finally meeting up with one of the missing students was more than welcome. Too sad we can't reach your family.", replied the man, slightly sighing.

Dejected but still reassured, Fatgum grabbed a can from a nearby backpack, filled with various kinds of dishes, of course all tightly canned, and handed it to Tokoyami, who picked it with a small thankful nod. Proceeding to do the same for the two other teenagers sitting in front of him before eventually cracking his own open, they all started to eat in a weighing silence, trying to stay focused on their already cooling meal. But Fumikage had his mind someplace else.

He still couldn't believe how lucky he had been to encounter Fatgum and the three students accompanying him, students whom Tokoyami recognized from class B : Kamakiri, Honenuki and Tokage, a pair of days after leaving the bunker and running out of the paltry supplies he had in his bag. But still, upon learning the truth about the outside world, Fumikage would've prefered to stay underground.

At first, he didn't understand why everything was so silent when he emerged from the cave preceding the bunker's entrance, nor why he couldn't see a single light in the darkened horizon. Everything was quiet, black and dead. Maybe he could've been in a rural area, but the skylines' silhouettes, the ones devoid from any sort of lightning which stood out in the crepuscule, slowly but surely turning to dark and sinister forms, told him he was at least near a populated town.

Upon reaching the town's outskirts, the confusion only grew further when Tokoyami noticed broken windows and burned cars scattered across the streets, all while he didn't encounter a single person. Yet, he was almost sure someone, or something, was stalking him, concealing in the shadows and chuckling at his dazzle. Progressing further into the city, even more hidden scenes of disasters emerged from the abyss, sprinkling Fumikage's entire vision field in every corner. Dried blood on the walls, run-down buildings, and even bullets marks every now and then. Was this chaos the result of a villain's actions, a powerful villain that could take down an entire city ?

A few steps, resonating in the quiet yet tense atmosphere, made the teenager shackling in his boots, prompting him to turn around and face whatever the source of those steps could be. And when he made eye contact with the source, he freezed on the spot, completely taken by surprise by what he was facing.

In front of him, two citizens with menacing looks on their faces, grown hollow by hunger and stress, eyes lined with giant and somber eye bags and clothes visibly ripped and covered in dirt. One was aiming a gun at him, while the other had lightened his palms with fireballs, probably his quirk, also directing them towards the young man, who didn't know how to react, until the gun wielding man spoke up, startling an uneasy Tokoyami.

"Your bag, hand it over. There's food inside, right ? So give it to us, and quicker than that.", he demanded, shaking his gun under the stress.

"Yeah, be cool man we're starving, we haven't eaten in days, be kind. We don't wanna trouble, just hand the bag over.", added his companion, clenching his fists.

"... What the hell are you saying ? I don't understand what's happening, I don't even have food on me-"

"Liar, fucking liar ! Daisuke, grab the bag, he must be lying ! He must have some food on him, cans or whatever, I don't care ! Get the bag !", crazily shouted the gunman, aiming right at Tokoyami's chest.

"I don't have anything of value on me ! Now stand back or I'll be forced to use my quirk on you !", replied Fumikage, already preparing himself to summon Dark Shadow. He didn't understand a single piece of what was going on, but he would certainly not ignore a potential threat.

"Man, I don't think it's a good idea to try to use force with him, he seems like a capable dude. We should-", started the second man, seemingly afraid of Tokoyami, only to be cut short by his friend.

"Shut up, you idiot ! I need that food, I crave that food ! If this asshole doesn't want to give it to us, I'll just shoot a few bullets to his chest then retrieve the food !", he screamed, pulling a finger on the trigger, veins filled with adrenaline.

The next few seconds were blurry for the most part to Toko's mind, but he recalled the earth suddenly moving around, almost forming waves, forcing the gunman to let loose on his pistol, then a pair of figures jumping between him and the enemies, one with blades growing out of their skin, the other with a body covered in shiny green scales, suddenly engaging them in melee, before blacking out, his head hit in the back with something heavy.

When Fumikage's consciousness came back, he was laying down on a dirty mattress, feeling a spring carving its way between his shoulder blades, but he was alive. For a moment, he thought he could die there, in the middle of a decayed town threatened by two unknown men, but he was perfectly fine, excluding the lasting headache in the back of the head. Sitting straight and scanning the room, he quickly noticed the four silhouettes in the room, one watching by the window while the other three were discussing, near the room's center. Were they the ones who saved him ?

"Look, he's awake. Welcome back, sleepyhead, really thought they harmed you back there.", raised a voice directed to him.

Tilting his head to his interlocutor, Toko's eyes widened when he recognized the person he was talking to. Parchment colored skin, beige hair and a very prominent smile.

"Ju.. Juzo ? Juzo Honenuki ? Is that really you ?"

"Indeed, the one and only ! Who else could it be with those teeth anyways, right ? Fat, he's awake !"

"Oh, is he ? Excellent, that's one less thing to worry about, how is he doing ?", asked the person by the window, turning back to them, Tokoyami immediately recognized the so-called Fatgum, the hero that took Kirishima in his agency.

"He seems to be fine, more confused than anything. I think he has a lot of questions.", replied the only girl, ripping off a few lasting scales, Setsuna Tokage.

"Same with us, we have a lot to ask of him;", precised he last one, green neonish hair and a very unique shape to his face, Togaru Kamakiri. Still grumpy.

"Now, now, no need to rush him kids, I think he still needs to recover for a moment. He probably recognized us, and that sole information is a lot to take into account, especially in our current condition. He has lived through events we don't know anything of.", calmed Fatgum, walking towards the convalescent with a plate of small sweets.

He couldn't be more right, Tokoyami was now completely at loss. Why was he meeting with those familiar faces in the middle of nowhere ? Why was the environment so decayed and destroyed, to the point random strangers were ready to murder him for food he didn't even had ? Many questions that wouldn't be answered for the moment, as he couldn't resist but snatch the plate from Taishiro's hands and empty it within seconds, making the gentle giant chuckle.

After this little treat he really needed, Fatgum made everyone sat down for a minute, and all the interrogations burning Fumikage's lips could eventually be answered. To his greatest horror, he learned the truth, the truth on what the world had become.

Basically, the world has ended, not too long after their disappearance and kidnapping a little more than a year ago.

Nobody knew exactly why nor the details of this impromptu apocalypse, but Fatgum tried to explain the best he could. After an entire class mysteriously vanished into thin air, the public's eyes looked down on U.A high, and the government forced the school to close its doors while investigations were being conducted for an unknown amount of time. The remaining students were forced to attend school in a regular, absolutely not secured building, much to its later demise.

At one point, Musatafu was attacked by several villains with extremely powerful quirks, easily overpowering the strongest heroes. Several bit the dust that day, including famous ones such as , Endeavor and Edgeshot. In the heat of the battle, the students were confined in the building, guarded by a handful of pro heroes like Fatgum and forbidden to engage into combat by their teachers.

The school was eventually attacked by a pair of criminals, one diffusing a sleepy pink mist in the air. While battling with them, Fatgum was pushed back to his limits and knocked unconscious, leaving the teenagers unable to protect themselves against the threats.

When Taishiro regained consciousness, it was too late. Silence, all around him, not a single noise could be heard and a dusty mist covered the premises. The city had been destroyed in hours. Looking through the ruins of the improvised school, a panicked hero found several fresh students bodies, some horribly mutilated, scarring him for life, but eventually discovered the entirety of class 1-B had disappeared, besides Togaru, Setsuna and Juzo, hiding in utter terror in a closet. The scheme had been repeated.

Since that day, Fatgum protected the three rescapees and accompanied them in their struggle to survive. It didn't take long to realize Musutafu had just been nothing but the preamble. In less than a month, society crumbled down, crushed under disorder's foot, on an international level. Fatgum heard nukes had been dropped across the lands and every government had been destroyed in a global war. The details remained unknown, the reason why the world had come to an end so quickly was still a complete mystery. They never even encountered those villains again.

"And now, we're still looking for their classmates, since I'm convinced they're still alive and locked down by the same man that kidnapped your class."; concluded a grim Fatgum, staring at the ground in disbelief. Scarred for life, he just couldn't show it.

"... So in short, nothing exists anymore ? It's just… us ? And we spent an entire year in that bunker ? But only a few hours passed between our abduction and our awakening… I don't get it.", pleaded Tokoyami.

An entire year missing from their memories ? That seemed to be taken straight from a video game, but it was the undeniable truth. Fatgum was right, the mastermind behind their demise probably captured class B as well; but they couldn't do anything. And it was now Tokoyami's turn to explain what happened those last few days.

"I don't remember anything about this year erased from our memories, but we've been trapped inside a military bunker. The abductor, the mastermind… He put us through a game of life and death, If we didn't obey, execution was on the way. Some of us even killed their friends… He played with our emotions, our feelings. It was torture !", cried out Fumikage in a raspy voice, gripping the sheets in his hands as tears poured down his cheeks.

Silence again, and incredulous faces. Horrified, puzzled and shocked faces, all those emotions painted on four different faces at the exact same moment when they comprehended the true nature of what Fumikage had to endure. Which one was the worst event to experience ? They were probably on the same level of sadism, the most basic human rights stomped on by chaos' heels.

"Torture…? Murder…? Execution…? No way, you can't be right, it's not possible. Nobody is that twisted, nobody can be…", murmured Juzo, holding himself against the wall.

"But… How did you escape ? You mentioned points after completing an order earlier, did that happen ? This is some sick shit…", spat an overwhelmed Togaru.

"I had to kill… Aizawa offered his life, if nobody died half of us would've been executed, so he decided… to do this, to allow us to live. I just hope they're still all alive down there…"

"You did what ? Oh for fuck's sake it's not possible. Forced murder, this is bullshit, what's wrong with this dude ?", enraged Kamakiri after a few seconds of the most heart-breaking silence today, punching the wall in denial.

"... You did what he asked you to do, you carried on with your mission, and saved your classmates' lives. This is so like Aizawa, he cared a lot about his students… I don't hold any resentment towards you kid, you didn't have the choice…", tried to reassure Fatgum, but his voice was clearly shattered into the tiniest pieces.

But even if the pro-hero didn't mind and totally understood Fumikage's action, along with the three teenagers, Tokoyami was still blaming himself. Aizawa wanted them to live on, but who knew what could've happened in the bunker since his escape ? Maybe they were all dead already, any help would be futile. Maybe the mastermind didn't mind him leaving, simply because he could be delighted by this one's despair and sadness when understanding the truth hidden behind the bunker's walls, where the rescue party wouldn't come?

It was really hopeless in the end. Even if Tokoyami knew where the bunker was, he couldn't go back, the trapdoor sealed itself automatically when he stepped outside. Even if he encountered help and friendly faces up here, what could they do ? Classmates being held hostages, trying to force their way in could result in a massacre of the last survivors, if they were any. And they were only a few, and only one pro hero, wounded on top of that.

And if even Endeavor was slayed by those villains, somehow sharing a connection with the mastermind, what could they even try without being slaughtered on the spot ? What happened to the other heroes ?

"Fatgum… who else survived Musutafu ? Hawks, U.A teachers, the Wild pussycats, All Might ? Anyone ?", reluctantly inquired Tsukuyomi.

"Well, I don't know… Most of them vanished in the attack or right after, I don't even know what happened to Tamaki and his friends…. All Might has been missing ever since the disappearance of class A, and Hawks… He died with Endeavor, trying to protect him. And if some of my colleagues are still alive, I don't have a single clue about their upcoming. I'm sorry…", listed Fatgum on his gloved hands, sighing in pain.

"Sir, what about Tartarus ? Some of them might have retreated back there, it's far from everything and they're living in relative autarky.", suddenly suggested Setsuna.

"The prison ? There's still criminals inside… Oh shoot, I hope whoever is still dwelling there, if any, managed to control those villains.", pondered Fatgum, thinking about her proposition.

While meeting again with Moonfish, All for One, Stain and an armless Overhaul wasn't the most pleasant thing that could happen to Fumikage, he understood the remote prison facility could be a place where surviving heroes have retreated and currently reside within. Maybe not the nearest, but their most tangible path to follow to try to rescue the students underground.

"I think it's still our best possibility Sir. If we reach the prison, we might be able to send a rescue party to the bunker, quickly enough to take the mastermind by surprise and save our friends, class A and maybe class B alike."

"You're right Setsuna, I'll consider it. But for now, we should eat. To distract ourselves, at least…", concluded the IMC hero, trying to break the ice and warm the atmosphere.

He had sworn to protect them, right ? He'd hold his promise until the very end.

"Tokoyami, you're daydreaming again ? ", suddenly resounded a voice, pulling the said boy back to reality.

Staring at him, Juzo was holding his opened can of beans, goofily grinning at him from across the bonfire, catching the attention of everyone scattered around.

"Oh ? Sorry, I was just thinking about something else…", he replied, a bit flustered.

Juzo laughed it off, accompanied by his companions, and eventually Fumikage cracked a smile. They were still heading to the prison, a week or so later, slowly but surely making their way to the North, longing the coastline. A distant hope for sure, but one hope that still could be grasped.

Will they reach it, that was still up to see. But Tokoyami would certainly try his best to achieve their objective, to stop the killing underground before it was too late. He wasn't the type to go down without a fight.

* * *

"So, Tetsutetsu, made your choice yet ? Will you kill Pony to save your classmates ? They're all in my hands, a simple push... "

Still staring at Awase curled up in a ball on his mattress, wrists swollen by broken cuffs, Tetsu felt a cold shiver running down his spine. Should he do such a thing, sacrifice one person for the group ? Tokoyami had done the same before him after all. But Pony trusted him, enough to follow him willingly in that damned bunker…

One life against fifteen...

"... Yes, I know what to do.. If it can help to save a few more lives..."

_" Then I'll do it."_

_Day 11_

_Deaths : 17_

_Alive : 12_

_Escaped : 1_


End file.
